Louis (Lou) F. Place

Louis "Lou" Franklin Place passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, the morning of June 23, 2015. He was born in Midway City, Calif., to Homer and DoraMay (Miller) Place. He spent his early years in Long Beach, Calif. It was there he attained his Eagle Scout award and graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He entered California State University at Davis and graduated from California State University at Berkeley with a B.S. degree in Forestry and Range Management. During high school he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve, Submarine Division, and served from 1953-1961. His early working career was with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Later he moved to Salem, Ore. and worked there as a firefighter. Adept at most he attempted in life, he transitioned careers when he moved to Seattle and started working for Puget Sound Refrigeration where he installed and maintained commercial refrigeration units until his retirement in the mid-1990s. He married Sharon McGree in 1959. They had two sons, Mark William Place and Kurt Louis Place. They later divorced. In 1991 he married Laurie (Cookie) Preston and became the stepfather to her two children, Heather Laurie Milner and Jeremy James Milner. Lou began his love of boating and watercraft as a young teenager in California. He and his father took part in races with his outboard boat Poco Mas. He evolved into sailboats after moving to the Pacific Northwest. It was there he began to sail his beloved boat Freestyle. Lou was a skilled offshore sailor, taking an extended 18-month trip to Hawaii and Tahiti and back to Seattle. He was a member of the Sloop Tavern Yacht Club in Ballard, Wash. For many years he entered Freestyle in numerous regattas and races, which earned him many trophies for first place. He later was a crewmember for other sailboats in the yacht club, continuing the races and lifestyle. Lou also liked to build things. He built a recreation cabin in Eastern Washington, a few garages, and the family home in Ocean Park upon retirement. He has built many decks and porches for friends as well. He volunteered for the local Rebuilding Together group donating his skills to some of the projects. After moving to Ocean Park permanently in 1999 he joined the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary at Cape D. This enabled him to be on the ocean and the Columbia River that he loved so much and once again he had the opportunity to be "messing about" in a boat. During this time he also took many camping trips exploring the land and driving a big truck. His kindness and willingness to lend a hand endeared him to all people who knew him. He also volunteered at the Ocean Park Food Bank on a weekly basis. Celebration of his life will be held Sat., July 11th, 2015 at the Peninsula Senior Center in Klipsan Beach. His guestbook is available at www.penttilaschapel.com.