Spring Street Center
1101 15th Ave
Seattle, WA 98122
Latihan at 3
Help Setup for Selametan at 4
Selametan Dinner 5-8 PM
Dear Brothers and Sisters of Subud,
We never thought we’d say this, but… we have guests at our center. Uninvited, unwelcome, and undeniably itchy guests. Yes, friends — we’ve got bed bugs.
Now before you scratch yourself just from reading that, rest assured: we’re taking immediate action. But like any good eviction process, it takes professionals, patience, and unfortunately — piles of money.
We’re calling this:
Operation Bye-Bye Bugs: A Pledge for Peaceful Sleep.
We’re humbly and humorously asking you to pledge whatever you can toward our emergency bed bug treatment fund. Whether it’s $10, $50, or whatever you’d spend on a bottle of super-strong anti-itch cream — it all helps! Our aim is to raise $5000 so that we can apply for a Matching Grant from the Regional House Fund.
We will be asking the Region for a $5000 Matching Grant to help us towards this VERY expensive task. The costs easily total $10,000. They include $922.53 to make sure the Subud side does not have bugs. (Yay – Report just in – No bugs doing Latihan!) It will cost $7,427.66 to clean the rental side of bugs. Other costs include protective covers for beds.
Subud Greater Seattle has just enough money to cover this expense, but then we will have very little left over. We are facing loss of rental income as well in the 2 week mitigation period.
Your donation will go toward:
Let’s be honest — no one wants to deal with bed bugs. But with your help, we can make sure this infestation is short-lived and never returns for a sequel.
Checks, Cash, or donate online using the “Make a Deposit” option at https://www.
Thank you for your support, your laughter, and your generosity. We promise not to bug you too often. 
With itchy gratitude,
Your Committee – Sarah and Adira
Above photo by Merie Weismiller Wallace, Mariana’s sister.
As you may know by now, Kenneth passed a week ago, in the early hours of July 10, 2025. He had been seriously ill with advanced Parkinson’s and its ramifications and complications, and finally his body simply became too fragile to keep going.
Kenneth was opened in Claremont, California in early 1962, while he was still in college. Later that year he moved back to his hometown, Berkeley, to go to graduate school. He did latihan in San Francisco until the Berkeley group formed, and latihaned in Berkeley until1970. Kenneth became a helper, and he and I married in 1965.
In 1970, Kenneth and I traveled to Europe to follow Bapak and his party around from group to group, and toward the end of that first part of Bapak’s 1970 world tour, we were invited by Ibu Siti Sumari to join the tour and travel with them for the rest of the tour, and to come back with them to Cilandak to live. This was okayed by Bapak, so we quickly flew back to Berkeley, got our affairs in order, bought tickets, and rejoined Bapak’s party in Toronto, following them to America, then to Europe for the second European tour, on to South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, and finally to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Jakarta.
We lived in Wisma Subud for eight years, until May of 1978. During that time Kenneth worked for several companies in data processing and also worked with Sampson Rheams to record the talks Bapak gave in Wisma Subud during that time period. Our three oldest children, Rosalind, Margaret, and Livingston, were born during the time we lived in Indonesia.
We returned to California, and settled in Ventura, near his brother Hamilton, and we became part of the Ventura group. Kenneth continued to work as a computer programmer, and our two youngest sons, Anthony and Lucas, were born in Ventura.
In late 1989 our family moved to the Seattle area, where we have lived ever since.
Kenneth was the kindest, best person I have ever known. We miss him deeply and pray that God will bless him and keep him always. We are planning to offer a Selamatan on the 100th day after his death, on October 18, 2025. We will send you details about that as arrangements are made and finalized.
Mariana Chaffee
Kenneth Chaffee., Berkeley, California, mid sixties
Kenneth in Cilandak for the 71 Subud World Congress.