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- Bio: DURKEE,JOHN G.
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." Abraham Lincoln.
- John Galen Durkee was born August 19, 1952 in Lewiston, Idaho to Galen Fletcher and Olive Eleanor (Hinderager) Durkee. John died June 23, 2016 in Yakima, WA after a nine year battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
- John's first childhood home was at White Pine Lumber (Alph Johnson's Mill) near Orofino, ID where his father Galen worked as a saw filer. Galen died in 1954 shortly before John's sister Marilyn was born. The family moved to Yakima in 1955 where Great-Uncle Chester Pike provided their home and became an important father figure in John's life. As a child John enjoyed Scouts, camping, hiking, fishing, swimming, and sledding. He had fun hunting and fishing with Uncle Chet and helped him build a cabin in the Nile Valley.
- John attended Terrace Heights Elementary and graduated from East Valley High School in 1970. He graduated from Yakima Valley Community College and in 1975 from Washington State University. John met Karen (Dixon) in Forestry classes at WSU. They married in Seattle, WA in 1976. John worked for the USDA Soil Conservation Service in Puyallup and Mt. Vernon, WA. He was a timber sale forester and wildland firefighter for the US Forest Service at Wallace and Bonners Ferry, ID, Dale and Ukiah, OR, and Carson and Naches, WA.
- John's childhood activities led him to a lifetime devoted to community service, where he always put others first and went above and beyond in everything he did. He was a patient, kind, and caring man that will always be remembered for the positive impact that he had on so many lives. John has been active in the Terrace Heights community since 1989 serving as Scoutmaster and Asst. of Boy Scout Troop 216, past President and VP of T.H. Lions Club, and member of Tree of Life Lutheran Church. In 2010 he received the Boy Scouts of America Silver Beaver award and in 2016 the T.H. Community Service Award.
- John instilled his love of the outdoors with his children and grandchildren. They all have fond memories of their outdoor adventures together, John's famous cooking, and slow but steady pace on the hiking trail. John estimated he hiked over 15,000 miles for work and pleasure in his lifetime. He continued activities enjoyed as a child, plus Dutch oven cooking and genealogy.
- John is survived by his wife, Karen; children, Matthew (Jenna) and Heather; grandchildren, John and Sadie; sister, Marilyn (Alan) McLean and half-brother, Tim (Carole) Crawford. He was preceded in death by his parents and half-brother Galen Fletcher Jr.
- Memorial Service is scheduled for Saturday, August 20, 2016, 11:00 a.m. at the Tree of Life Lutheran Church in Terrace Heights, 410 N. 37th St., Yakima. Donations may be made to Boy Scouts of America or charity of your choice.
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1952 - 2016 (63 år)
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