William Sargent Koenitzer

July 7, 1933 to October 8, 2021, age 88

As an F-105 Thud fighter pilot, Will always found the target and fortunately evaded the flak and SAM missiles; as a forester he easily found the hard-to-access stands of trees necessary to ground truth. He was born with a vivid imagination, little fear and a huge sense of adventure. He was kind, honest, loyal, generous, artistic and a perfectionist. When he was laughing to himself he was most likely drawing amazing political cartoons in his mind. He loved nature, and especially felt at home in Alaska and Ontario.

Will supported his wife's many volunteer causes by encouraging and advising her. One of his hobbies was deeply researching political figures and their shenanigans. He realized the futility of the Vietnam war. Animals loved him.

As the founder of Forest Data Inc he was proud of its work: vegetative photo interpretation and mapping of millions of acres. The US Forest Service awarded him two rare commendations for exemplary contract completions.

He gracefully contended with ever decreasing mobility. Toward the end of our 45-year stay in Corvallis, he particularly enjoyed the two boardwalks in the SW part of town. His family now thinks of him agilely instigating tricks at the one-foot-wide and a mile-long bar in heaven surrounded by his long lost friends, or roaming mountains, deserts and shorelines with us, naming trees and flora.

Will died peacefully at home in Flagstaff, AZ. He is survived by and by his wife Marilyn Tate Koenitzer, daughters Renee Koenitzer and Kara C. Koenitzer Tate (Brett Larson), son Bart, granddaughters Maya J., and Emma R. Huffman. Preceded in death by son William Jr. in 1982. Relatives remain in the Willoughby, OH and West Branch, MI areas. Friends are everywhere. A special shout-out to the Fridays Holy Fungi friends at the Old World Deli.

Contributions may be made to the Parkinson's Foundation, www.parkinson.org; The Hightower Lowdown , hightowerlowdown.org; or any environmental organization of choice.