Image: To Lisa, the mountains weren't just a job; they were a place of profound connection that she carried with her throughout her life.
At the Wenatchee River Institute (WRI), we often talk about our mission to connect people, communities and the natural world. Rarely, however, do we see that mission so perfectly embodied in a single person. Lisa Therrell was more than a board member, a volunteer, and a donor; she was a gardener who carefully tended to the people and projects that continue to help our community bloom today. Lisa embodied WRI’s mission through hands-on service, stewardship of place, and everyday teaching.
As the former Facilities Committee Chair at WRI, Lisa didn’t believe in idle words. If a fence needed mending or a garden needed weeding, she simply did it. "Service was her love language," her friend, Terri Butler, recalls. "She was quiet but present, and fierce in her passion." Whether she was kickstarting WRI’s Native Plant Garden or leading a program, Lisa led by example.
A veteran Forest Service Wilderness Ranger with a teacher’s heart, Lisa spent her life merging the grit of protecting wild places with a passion for educating the community — a perfect connection with WRI. In a way, her passions were more like "two sides of the same coin: a love of both the natural world and of people, and a desire to see human culture treat wild nature with respect," says her partner, Rich Haydon.
Image: Lisa never let obstacles slow her down. One summer she continued solo patrols in the Glacier Peak Wilderness in an arm cast, testing the bounds of what could be done, literally, single-handedly.
To understand Lisa, you have to look at the roots she planted — both in the earth and in the people around her. Since her passing in December 2025, we have been reflecting on the many ways she nurtured the world around her. Her friend and fellow board member, Gro Buer, remembers the hours they spent side-by-side in WRI’s Native Plant Garden.
"Those times were the best," Gro recalls. "No pressure for conversation, but ideas popping out as hands were busy."
Lisa was a self-proclaimed plant nerd whose passion for botany was as deep as the roots she tended. She had a particular love for the rare and resilient Lewisia tweedyi (Tweedy’s Lewisia) which grows almost exclusively in the Wenatchee Valley and mountains. This native wildflower reflects Lisa’s own spirit: beautiful, rare, and perfectly adapted to our rugged landscape. When asked to come up with a list of plants for the Native Plant Garden, she produced a five-page, deeply researched guide — a testament to the passion she brought to every project she touched.
Image: Tweedy’s Lewisia taken by WRI Land Steward, Tiffa Theden.
This gardener’s heart was the source of her immense generosity. Her friend, Meleah Butruille, remembers her relationship that began years ago at a fundraiser for WRI, where Lisa offered up a season’s bounty from her own garden in exchange for a donation to WRI.
Long after the fundraiser ended, their relationship continued to blossom. For many years after, Meleah and her family continued to donate to WRI in return for bounty from Lisa’s garden. Meleah fondly remembers opening those garden boxes when her children were young. Lisa put so much care into each package – they weren't just receiving food; they were receiving a lesson. Lisa would meticulously label every variety of produce, teaching Meleah and her children about the many different garlics or how to open poppy pods to plant in their yard or make poppyseed muffins.
"Lisa’s care still ripples down today," Meleah says. "I will think of her every time poppies bloom in my garden."
Today, as our community continues to tend gardens, maintain our campus, and keep the “Wild in Wilderness,” we are walking in Lisa's footsteps. She showed us that while we all navigate different eddies, we share the same channels. Every act of kindness and generosity is a ripple from the stones she cast, proving that one person’s busy hands can create an impact that lasts for generations.
"There is a profound gratitude for the ways—both big and small—that we show up in this world. In everything she did, she reminds us that we can do more for each other and, in doing so, bring a little more dignity to the world." – Terri Butler
Thank you, Lisa, for reminding us that generosity isn't just about what we give, but how we show up for one another. While we miss her dearly, her spirit is rooted in every native bloom and every community connection made.
On behalf of her family and friends, we invite the community to join us as we celebrate Lisa's life and legacy:
When: Saturday, April 18th from 11am-2pm (service from 11am-12pm)
Where: Wenatchee River Institute, 347 Division St. Leavenworth
RSVP and find more details on the Facebook event or through Faith Lutheran Church
All of us at WRI would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Lisa’s family and friends — Rich Haydon, Terri Butler, Meleah Butruille, Leesa Broker, Gro Buer, Susan Thomas, Heather Murphy, and Lisi Ott — for sharing their stories and cherished memories to help us honor Lisa’s legacy.
