Gary A. Kohl

Gary A. Kohl
Died: May 26, 2023
After a long battle with cancer, Gary A. Kohl died at home on May 26, 2023, at the age of 80.
Born in Darmstadt, Germany during World War II, he lost his father before he was a year old. When the war ended, he and his mother Wilma emigrated to the United States with her second husband, Peter Kohl, where they settled in Sterling,
Illinois. Following graduation from Newman Catholic High School there, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Vietnam, after which he earned his Bachelors degree from St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa. He later earned a Masters degree in Education from Eastern Illinois University.
Gary returned to Sterling and worked at the Northwestern Steel and Wire Company and Westwood Sports Center before finding his "perfect job" coaching and teaching history at Newman Middle School. He loved kids, history and staying fit. In 1974, he met Joan Brenner who was teaching in nearby Rock Falls High School, and in 1987, moved to Seattle where the two married and settled in Brier.
Throughout his life, Gary collected books about military history and enjoyed constructing dioramas of battle scenes. During his prolonged illness, he remained positive, upbeat, and always kept his sense of humor: His was a life well-lived and he was a man well-loved.
Gary was preceded in death by his father Henry, his step-father Peter, and his mother Wilma. He is survived by his wife Joan and six in-laws: Tom, Shirley, Dick, John, Margaret and Carol. His ashes are interred at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Judes Hospital or the American Cancer Society.