William Schorr

Bill Schorr, longtime resident of Seldovia and Eagle River, died in an avalanche in the mountains of the

South Fork Valley on Feb. 13, 2010. He was 60.

Intimate gatherings to celebrate his life will be held Feb. 27 in Seldovia and March 28 in Eagle River.

Bill was born Dec. 1, 1949, in Columbus, Ga. His father was career Air Force. The family moved frequently during his childhood. He shared fond memories of an early childhood in Tennessee and fishing with his paternal grandmother.

Bill graduated from high school in Tacoma, Wash. He served four years with the Air Force,

including a deployment to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam era. After receiving a biology degree from Eastern Washington State College, he traveled to Alaska with his good friend Doug Mckerney. Alaska became his home.

Bill loved both the sea and the mountains. He was a naturalist at heart, sharing his intimate knowledge of flora and fauna with others throughout the seasons. He was passionate about the well-ordered structure and beauty of all living things and encouraged in others a deeper and more heart-felt connection with nature.

His comfort in the outdoors was demonstrated by his vast experiences and physical endurance, whether skiing, hiking, biking, sailing or kayaking. He prized those years when he could ski close to 10 months of the year.

His early years in Alaska began with Fish and Game, then teaching in the Anchorage, Iditarod and Pribilof Island school districts. A brief stint out of state allowed him to attend the wooden boat school in Port Townsend, Wash., and teach in St. Croix. During the past 20 years he honed his skills as a custom cabinetmaker and wood artist. His attention to detail, eye for design and appreciation of unusual woods were the trademarks of his craft.

He designed and built his home outside of Seldovia overlooking Kachemak Bay and lower Cook Inlet.

The interior of his home is a showcase of his artistic talent. He was a gardener extraordinaire. He

treated his outdoor environment with as much care and concern to detail as his interior environment.

When indoors, he enjoyed music, movies, good food and reading. He could spend hours browsing thrift stores and antique stores.

Bill was a free spirit, ready for adventure, contemplative and an independent thinker. Many lives have

been touched by his thoughtfulness and warmed by his smile and sense of humor. His abrupt departure has created a void in many people's lives. Life teaches us many lessons, one of which is how it is so brief and fragile. We can never be warmed enough in the radiance of those we love. We must always nurture our relationships and cherish our loved ones as fully as we possibly can, for life is too short for anything but joy.

Bill is survived by his mother and stepfather, Iris and Earl From of Lady Lake, Fla.; his sisters, Connie Schorr of Columbus, Ga., and Jill Towne of Des Moines, Wash.; his nephew, Bill Davis of

Tacoma; and four grandnephews and -nieces. He also leaves behind his friend and companion, Bev

Lewanski of Eagle River; and his dog, Scupper. Bill is greatly missed by his adopted Alaska family including Paul, Linda, Maya and Shishana Rourke of Homer; Dede Higman; Mary, Eric and Adam Eldred of Anchorage; and Doug, David and Mckerney, originally of Wasilla; and many, many other friends in

Seldovia and places beyond.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Charles Brasher Netherland, Alice Sanders and Peter and Mamie Schorr; his father, William Schorr; numerous cousins and extended family in Columbus; and his treasured canine companion, Ozzie.

Memorial donations may be made to the Alaska Avalanche School or the Alaska Search and

Rescue Dogs.