ARLINGTON – A 64-year-old Arlington woman and her 95-year-old mother were among the five victims who died in the Cascade Mall shootings in Burlington Friday night.

Belinda Galde, a probation officer with Cascade District Court in Arlington, died along with Beatrice Dotson, who moved into the family home in recent years.

On Friday evenings, the mother and daughter often would go to Macy’s at the mall. Belinda’s husband, Mike, frequently would drive and wait for them. That’s what they were doing on the night of the shootings, friends said.

Mike recently retired from Stella Corp., and Belinda was just about ready to retire, said Dave Duskin of the Rotary Club of Arlington.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Galde family,” Duskin said.

Galde adored her mother, said Lynn McCormick, a retired probation officer who worked with Galde from 1994-2009.

“She was a class act, a southern belle, a true southern belle,” McCormick said of Dotson. “Elegant. You could just picture her in some big southern mansion.”

As for Galde, McCormick called her a great friend.

“She was caring, but she could also be very tough, and she had to be,” McCormick said. “But people know that she cared about them. She was fair, absolutely fair, and ethical. I could not have asked for a better co-worker.”

Before she was a probation officer, Galde ran a hairdressing business out of the family home.

A year after retirement, McCormick needed heart surgery. She was tired and weak. Galde came to visit her before and after her operation and fixed her hair during those difficult times. “It never looked so good,” McCormick said.

Galde beamed when she talked about her family — her husband, her two daughters and her grandchildren , McCormick said.

Retired Cascade Judge Jay Wisman worked for more than 20 years with Galde, who began as a secretary before becoming an officer. District courts handle everything from traffic tickets to gross misdemeanors. Much of her caseload involved DUIs.

“Belinda was just very calm,” Wisman said. “She didn’t get ruffled. She was very sweet and gentle and always very conscious about the people on probation.”

Everett District Court Judge Anthony Howard said in a Facebook post, “Our hearts are broken.” Prior to becoming a judge, Howard worked for years as a commissioner in Cascade District Court.

She was “a truly compassionate and dedicated public servant. We are devastated beyond words that she and her mother were senselessly taken from us and her loving family,” he wrote.

Snohomish County lawyer Rick Leo, who has spent the past two years working as a district court commissioner, said he relied on Galde for guidance in how best to help people navigating the criminal justice system.

“She had such compassion for people and will be truly missed by every life she touched,” he wrote on Facebook.

Kyle Moore of the Washington State Patrol reported that at approximately 6:58 p.m. Sept. 23, Skagit 9-1-1 received a call from the Macy’s at the Cascade Mall reporting a shooting. The suspect was described as wearing black clothing and carrying a rifle. About 200 local and regional law enforcement from more than 26 agencies immediately responded to secure the scene and evacuate workers and visitors.

According to surveillance video, the shooter entered without a weapon; 10 minutes later, he reappears at Macy’s with a rifle.

Four women died, and a man who was seriously injured and transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle passed away overnight.

The others who lost their lives are: Shayla Martin, 52, of Mount Vernon, who worked at Macy’s; Wilton Charles “Chuck” Eagan, 61, a Boeing employee; and Sarai Lara, 16, of Conway.

After a manhunt, Arcan Cetin, 20, of Oak Harbor was arrested in the killings.