Obituary of Gilbert David Kuhnle

Gilbert D. Kuhnle passed away on January 1, 2014, at the age of 91, at his home in Olympia, WA, surrounded by his family. He was born in Grays Harbor County near Matlock, WA to Albert and Jane (Kelley) Kuhnle, on November 26, 1922. Although Gib suffered from polio when he was a young child, which left him with a substantial limp, he never let that disability slow him down. He was a very hard worker and out to prove to anyone and everyone that he could do anything just as well or better than them. Gib graduated from Mary M. Knight high school in 1942, and married Betty Jean Depoe on May 27, 1948. Betty’s parents would not let her marry until she graduated, so they married that night. They were married for 36 years, and raised five children together. Gib moved his family to Sitka, Alaska in 1960, where he lived until 1984 when Betty passed away. Gib held many jobs in his lifetime. Some of his professions were tree planter, forest firefighter, logger, powder monkey and tugboat operator, pushing log rafts around the bay and up to the mill where they were processed into pulp. That was the job from which he retired in 1983. All of his jobs were outdoors and, even in his spare time, he always had a major project going. He cleared land, he worked on his own cars, and he was quick to offer help to his neighbors and friends. In Sitka, Gib and Betty’s closest friends were Hettie and Darrell Rodgers, and Barton and Carol Sollars. Their families took many boating, hunting, fishing, exploring and vacation trips together. In Gib’s retirement he became a “snow bird.” He started with a truck and trailer and quickly progressed to living in the winter on the desert in his converted Greyhound bus. He made many friends and traveled with many of them throughout the lower 48 states and Alaska while living this lifestyle. His preferred spot to camp was at the hot springs on BLM land in Holtville, CA. He is well known for helping to renovate the hot springs and planting the palm trees and other vegetation that now surrounds that area. Even when he was no longer living on the desert, he made pilgrimages to the hot springs 40 miles away for the occasional soak and gab fest, especially on his birthday. When Gib learned that a family member or friend was going to visit, especially in Sitka and Yuma, he immediately went into his “tour guide” persona. He greatly enjoyed taking folks to spots of interest and regaling them with stories about the area. He had to be reminded not to plan every minute of their visit. Gib’s favorite past time was tending to a large vegetable garden, berry patch and flower beds when he was back home in Olympia. He was happiest when he was outside soaking up the sun and working with his hands. Even when he became less ambulatory, he was still “logging” with his motorized scooter (which he always ran at top speed). His family finally convinced him it was time to quit driving the bus back and forth to California, so in 1996, he bought a small home in Yuma and continued to spend time there up until this year. His pride and joy in Yuma were the many boxes of oranges and grapefruit his trees produced every year. He would bring citrus home to share with family and friends in Washington, as well as share with his neighbors in the Yuma Citrus View subdivision. Gib is survived by his siblings, Kathleen “Katie” (Jim Thesenvitz) Pearsall, Hoquiam; Marguerite “Maggie” Ogg, Shelton; and Mary Ann Mendenhall, Elma; sisters-in-law, Deloris Thomas, Olympia; Rosa Perkins, Shelton; Mary Depoe, Shelton; his children, Carol (Hiram Stevens) Chestnut, Olympia; Gary Kuhnle, Olympia; Susan (Gary Turney) Webb, Lakewood; Sherri (Emil) Ward, Asotin, and Albert (Cathy Groves) Kuhnle, Mt. Vernon; eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, another expected in May, and numerous nieces and nephews. A celebration of life is planned for Monday, January 6, at 4:00 PM, at the Matlock Grange. Please come and share your memories. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the charity of your choice. Arrangements under the direction of McComb & Wagner Funeral Home & Crematory.