Carl Willrich

1929 - 2020

Carl Willrich
July 23, 1929 - February 27, 2020
Olympia, Washington - Carl Willrich 1929-2020
Carl lived an amazing and adventurous life. He was born in Ceres, Washington to a logging family that earned a living taking a mobile sawmill from site to site. Straight out of high school Carl worked in a logging camp and at an Alaska cannery, but he soon decided what he really needed was to go to college. He made his way through the University of Washington by working throughout his school years and by joining the ROTC program, earning a degree in Forestry. There he met the love of his life while working as a short order chef at a sorority house. Mavis and Carl were married in 1957, and would have two children, Susan and Chris.
After college Carl flew for the Air Force as part of the Military Air Transport Service, usually piloting C-124 Globemasters and flying all over the country and beyond, sometimes as far out as Guam, braving storms over the Pacific. Afterwards he put his degree to work for the U.S. Forest Service, planning and surveying roads deep in the Olympic National Forest. That experience went to good use in his next career managing the J.D. Dutton construction company. Carl traveled all over the country to oversee a huge number of projects. In later years he became a consultant and an expert witness with the law firm Hunt, Coburn, and Associates, which specialized in construction cases. Here too he traveled widely through the U.S.
Carl loved traveling, and the family made many trips together, including regular fishing trips to Eastern Washington. After Susan and Chris grew up, Carl and Mavis continued their adventures together, visiting Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Fading eyesight and other health issues made it hard for Carl to travel in recent years, but he remained mentally sharp and interested in gardening, books, family, and friends. He was a source of good advice, kind sympathy, and warm company for many people. He died in February of kidney failure. Carl is survived by his wife Mavis, his daughter Susan and her husband James, his son Chris and his wife Becky. Grandchildren include granddaughter Kelsey and her husband Steve, granddaughter Kristen, grandson Michael, granddaughter Sarah, and grandson David.