Josselyn Bennett Winslow

Josselyn was born on 16 June 1930 in Akron, Ohio, to Harold Albert Bennett and Dorothy (née Josselyn) Bennett. Josselyn died on 26 February 2026 in Bellingham, Washington, peacefully, at home, and in the care of family.

Harold was a civil engineer with the “B&O” (Baltimore & Ohio Railroad), which caused Josselyn’s family to move to cities and towns along the railroad in Ohio and Indiana every couple of years. Josselyn began attending Western College in Oxford, Ohio, at the age of 16. Given Harold’s railroad expertise and World War II experience, he was asked to advise on the development of the Korean railroad system. Josselyn and her mother joined him in Korea in late August 1949. It was in Seoul, Korea, that Josselyn met Frank Winslow, her “Friday night” square dance partner at the Officers’ Club.

When North Korea attacked South Korea on 25 June 1950, Josselyn and her mother were evacuated from Inchon to Japan on the freighter M/S Reinholt. Shortly after, Harold flew to Japan, but Frank stayed for wartime duty and did not leave Korea until September 1951. Meanwhile, Josselyn returned to Western College and graduated in 1951 with a degree in Sociology. Josselyn maintained that the most important principle she learned in college was to open doors for others, something she practiced for the rest of her life.

When Frank returned to the States, they stayed in contact, courted, and became more than just square dance partners. They became life partners and married on 13 June 1953. As an Army wife, Josselyn continued to move frequently, eventually moving 28 times in 25 years, all while raising six children. Josselyn and Frank settled in Bellingham in 1979.

Josselyn and Frank had a great love of travel. In the 1970’s, Josselyn and the family lived in Heidelberg, West Germany. As an enthusiastic traveler, she ventured from Ireland to Greece and Morocco to Leningrad. After Frank’s retirement from the Army, Josselyn, Frank, and their two youngest kids spent a year traveling in a car and trailer, visiting over 20 countries. While Frank was still alive, in 2006 they returned to where it all started, Seoul, the Republic of Korea. Josselyn’s final travel trip was to San Francisco to watch a dance performance by her grandson, Henry.

As a mother of six children, Belinda, Mark, Stephen, Dominic, Timothy, and Jeffrey, life was constantly chaotic for the decades from the 50’s through the 70’s. The family was involved with Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and PTA, often with Josselyn and Frank volunteering to assist or lead. Josselyn planned to go back to work after the children were grown, but shortly before the family moved to Bellingham, her mother began to develop Alzheimer’s disease. As Josselyn’s mother fell into the fog of Alzheimer’s disease, Josselyn shifted her focus to supporting those providing care to people with dementia.

The need for community-based support for sole caregivers of those with dementia, such as husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, children and parents, became apparent to Josselyn and Frank as the two of them and a few of their sons all worked to care for Dorothy. This phase of her career started in the mid 1980’s around the family dining table, where the beginnings of a support group were developed. Eventually, outgrowing the home, the support group moved into an old house at what was then 1212 Indian Street in Bellingham and grew into the Alzheimer Society of Washington. As Alzheimer’s became understood to be a subset of dementia, the Society transitioned into what is now Dementia Support Northwest. The recently opened Amy’s Place, supporting the mission of Dementia Support Northwest, is a support community that Josselyn took great pride in and had envisioned and pursued for decades.

Josselyn enjoyed the challenge of being involved with societal problems. Patient advocacy, caregiver advocacy, public policy, dementia care, and legislation to support long-term dementia care were all within Josselyn’s wheelhouse. One of her favorite books was The Prophet – specifically the passage, “Like a procession you walk together towards your god-self. You are the way and the wayfarers. And when one of you falls down, he falls for those behind him, a caution against the stumbling stone. Ay, and he falls also for those ahead of him, who though faster and surer of foot, yet removed not the stumbling stone.” She dedicated her life to helping others “remove stumbling stones”.

In Olympia, the State capitol, Josselyn and Frank pushed for legislation to allow family members to speak on behalf of their loved ones when they were unable to speak for themselves. They also pushed to improve standards for care facilities to address the unique care needs of patients with dementia.

Locally, Josselyn’s advocacy for families caring for loved ones with dementia included efforts to adopt identification bracelets in Whatcom County. The ID bracelets are worn by patients to help find them when they inevitably wander away (a common and typical behavior of dementia patients).

Josselyn was recognized at the state level for her significant volunteer contribution to the community by Governor Booth Gardner, first in 1989 and again, with Frank, in 1991. Locally Josselyn was recognized by the Northwest Women’s Hall of Fame as a 2004 Distinguished Whatcom County Woman.

Josselyn’s caregiver advocacy spanned over 40 years, from 1980 through the final weeks of her life. She served as the Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Society of Washington for more than 10 years. Over the last decade, she shifted her focus to VSED (voluntarily stopping eating and drinking). This compassionate and self-directed approach to a good death was ultimately her husband’s choice, which she courageously helped Frank pursue. Her interest in VSED included her serving on the board of the local VSED Resources Northwest.

Josselyn is pre-deceased by her husband Frank (2017), and sons, Mark Lawrence Winslow (2021), and Timothy Bennett Winslow (1998). Josselyn is survived by her children, Belinda Winslow Hawkins (husband, Bill and grandchildren, Jessie and Spencer, great-grandchildren, Layla, and Auden), Stephen Winslow (wife Cindy Sperling and grandchild, Amanda), Dominic Winslow (wife Theresa and grandchildren Dillon, Calli and Nolan, great-grandchildren, Albert, Heidi, Connor, Ali, Theo, and Cal) and Jeffrey Winslow (wife Carolyn and grandchildren Blair and Henry).

Please make memorial tributes to: the Dementia Support Northwest, 2905 Newmarket St. #210, Bellingham, WA 98226. If online, please donate at dementiasupportnw.org.