Tragedy on Vashon Island
A widower takes his own life after preparing a final meal for his two sons.
Despondent over a love affair, Joseph Havens, a 40-year-old widower living with his two sons on their ranch on Vashon Island, cut his throat with a razor Tuesday night and died while being rushed to a physician's office. After preparing the evening meal and seating his sons, aged 9 and 18, at the table, Havens stepped into the woodshed behind the house and took his own life.
“After preparing the evening meal, and seating his sons... at the table, Havens stepped to the woodshed behind the house, and accomplished his horrible self-destruction.”
This heartbreaking event highlights the isolation often faced by rural settlers in the early 20th century. While Vashon Island has transformed from a ranching community into a suburban retreat, the themes of mental health and domestic desperation remain persistent and challenging issues.
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