Henry James Hukari

Henry J. Hukari 12/8/1922 – 11/23/2014 Henry James Hukari passed away at home in Corvallis on November 23rd. He was born December 8, 1922 in Hood River, to Herman Hukari and Johanna Groop and was the youngest of four children. He grew up on the family orchard in Odell and graduated from Hood River High School in 1941. Jim had a strong sense of adventure and loved the outdoors. He learned to ski, fly a plane and to sail. He climbed all of the major peaks in the Pacific Northwest as a member of the “Crag Rats”, a mountaineering and rescue group based in Hood River. Jim joined the U.S. Maritime Service in 1942 as an able bodied seaman. In 1945 he graduated from the USMS Officer Candidate School in Alameda, California with a third mates license, and soon earned his second mates license. During WWII, he sailed completely around the earth and in every major ocean. After the war he attended Vanport College and earned a BS in Business Administration from the University of Oregon in 1951. He returned to the Merchant Marines during the Korean War and then worked for the Alaskan RR on the Tanana and Yukon Rivers including on a sternwheeler. Jim married Lucile Barnhart on October 23, 1954. They had three children. They spent their early marriage in Portland and in Burns, working on a cattle ranch owned by Lucile’s parents. Later they moved to the family farm in Hoskins and, in 1959, they bought their own farm near Pedee, raising sheep and hay. In 1970, the family moved to Corvallis. In 1967, Jim began working for the School of Oceanography at Oregon State University as a purchasing clerk where one of his favorite jobs was outfitting the research vessels “Yaquina” and “Wecoma”. He retired in 1982. For the next several years, Jim and Lucile enjoyed traveling, working side-by-side on their 300 acre tree farm and building their retirement home in Hoskins. Lucile passed away in 1989. At a grief support group, he met his second wife, Helen Kemp. They were married on July 25, 1991. Jim and Helen grew old together, lovingly helping each other through illness and aging, but still enjoying travel, family get-togethers and investing in the stock market. They were often seen hand-in-hand, walking their dog. Helen passed away on December 1, 2013. In addition to his wartime travels, Jim visited Russia, Mexico, Canada, Peru, Chile, France, Senegal, Italy and Switzerland. At the age of 82, Jim traveled to his parent’s birthplace, Finland, with two cousins and a friend. They were four old guys, one blind, one in a wheelchair, and one nearly deaf. His kids delighted in the stories that resulted from that trip. He was a member of the Corvallis Lions Club and the First United Methodist Church. In later years he attended the Presbyterian Church with Helen. In addition to Lucile and Helen, Jim was preceded in death by his parents and siblings Helen, Bruno and Mary. He is survived by children Beth Davidson (Kevin) of Salem; Ron Hukari (Connie) of Boyertown, PA and Evelyn Hukari-Hazelton (Mark) of Hoskins; step-children George Kemp (Chris) of Virginia Beach, VA and Ann Cook (Don) of Fallbrook, CA, 12 grandchildren; 5 great grandchildren; sisters-in-law Ardene Barnhart and Raye Hukari; numerous nieces and nephews; friend Sue Mariner and his dog Julie. The family would like to thank the staff of Timber Hill Place and of Benton Hospice for their kindness and care for Jim and his family. A service will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Corvallis on Wednesday, December 3rd at 1:00 p.m. with a reception to follow. Memorial donations may be made to Benton Hospice or to the Talking Book and Braille Service of the Oregon State Library.

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Henry James Hukari

December 8, 1922 - November 23, 2014