Harte Penttila

Montesano, Washington resident Harte E. Penttila, 85, died March 16, 2008 in Grays Harbor Community Hospital, Aberdeen, WA, from complications following an extended illness. Harte was born August 20, 1922, the ninth of twelve children of Frank and Helga (Riipa) Penttila of Naselle, Washington. He spoke only Finnish until learning English in the first grade, graduating from Naselle High School in 1940. Following high school he went to work in the local woods with his father, fondly recalling them hard-falling a fir over 11 feet in diameter at the butt. With the start of World War II Harte entered the U.S. Army in 1942 and saw action in New Guinea and the Philippines with the 44th Tank Battalion of the 12th Armored Division. As a leader of infantry scouts for tank units, he rose to the rank of second lieutenant (in lieu of a Silver Star) via a battlefield commission. He was most proud of his direct contribution to the liberation of the Santo Tomas University internment camp survivors in Manila in early February of 1945. He also served briefly in the US occupation forces of Japan prior to his return stateside for discharge. He often stated that his worst experience in the military was his several weeks of sea sickness on the troopship between the Columbia River bar and New Guinea. Following his Army discharge in early 1946 he returned to Naselle and married Dorothy Anderson of Salmon Creek on June 30, 1946 at the Naselle Lutheran Church. Taking advantage of the G.I. Bill he followed his desire for a career in fish and wildlife management by attending Oregon State University during 1946-1950, earning a degree in fish and wildlife management. He was the first college graduate ever in his family, a tradition now firmly established in the two following generations. Harte began a 30 year career with the Washington Department of Game later in 1950. He managed lands and undertook law enforcement duties at the state wildlife recreation areas at Fir Island (Skagit county) and Johns River (Grays Harbor county), followed by regional environmentalist positions at the Mt. Vernon and Aberdeen WDG regional offices. He retired from WDG to his home in Montesano in May 1980. Harte was very much a student of the natural world his whole life, interested in bird and plant identification and other studies, in a life committed to public service. His life also centered upon family, being much beloved by his large extended Penttila/Anderson families of Naselle/Salmon Creek. He was an avid razor clam digger and fisherman. Harte was a gentle man who left the world a better place. Besides his wife of 62 years, Dorothy of Montesano, WA, he is survived by son Dan Penttila of Anacortes, WA; daughter Barbara Penttila of Olympia, WA; granddaughter Elizabeth Penttila attending the University of Montreal, Canada; as well as numerous members of the extended Penttila/Anderson families. Harte was preceded in death by his father Frank, mother Helga, all of his brothers Reuben, Louis, Herbert, Paul, Richard and Millard Penttila and all of his sisters Lila Penttila Gray, Nonnie Penttila Nixon, Nellie Penttila Kilponen and Stella Penttila Peterson. Funeral service will be Friday, March 21, 2008, 11 AM at Naselle Lutheran Church. Graveside committal follows at Salmon Creek Cemetery, rural Naselle. A post-service gathering will be held at the church. Remembrances may be made to either the Nature Conservancy or the organization of one's choice in care of Penttila's Chapel by The Sea, PO Box 417, Long Beach, WA 98631. The guestbook is available at www.penttilaschapel.com.