The Warrens.

Ardie Lee Warren, Jr. — "AJ" to the people who knew him — was born in Tyler, Texas, and came to Washington as a boy when his father was stationed at Fort Lewis. He graduated from Stadium High School in Tacoma in 1969 and earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology and sociology from Western Washington University in 1973. He sold real estate and worked at The Seattle Times. He built a '57 Chevy from scratch, raced a '67 Camaro with his name written on the trunk at Spanaway Speedway, and won. He carried a camera most of his life.

At Western he met Gloria Garrett. They married in July 1975 — remembered by everyone there as the couple with the "Jean Suit" wedding — and in 1982 their only child, Marques Jamaar Warren, was born. The family's memorial says it plainly: they both considered Marques to be their greatest accomplishment. Gloria passed in 2006.

In 1994, as founder and president of Warren's News and Gift, Inc., Ardie opened Northwest Encounter, a travel-convenience store at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, as a subtenant of Host Marriott (today HMS Host). His brother AnTony joined him in 1996. Together they launched The Warren Group and I-5 Concessions, opened two Pretzelmania locations at Sea-Tac, and became joint-venture partners in a multi-concept specialty retail store at San Francisco International. In 2004, Warren's News and Gift partnered with Hudson News and MCSB Inc. in the joint venture awarded the master retail lease at Sea-Tac — sixteen stores, from news and gift to specialty retail. The company has operated there ever since.

He served as an original board member of the Seattle Black Chamber of Commerce, a founding member of the Sea-Tac Minority Business Association, and a member of the Airport Minority Advisory Council.

"Sell a lot of stuff for not a lot of money."

"Ardie leaves behind his son, Marques, to carry on his legacy."