Richard Ernest Lohse

Richard E. Lohse, age 76, long-time Edmonds resident, died peacefully at home in May 2016. Richard was born in Sacramento and grew up in Roseville, California. Following his graduation from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in electrical engineering, he moved to Seattle, where he met Marie, his wife of 54 years. Richards career as an engineer included employment at companies located in California, Utah, and Washington states. In the late 1990s, he retired from the John Fluke Manufacturing Company. He was an avid and knowledgeable steam locomotive enthusiast. This avocation took him to many places around the world, including Southern Africa, Brazil, Australia, England, Mexico, and Canada. He was the author of a well-received book Memories of the Cab Forwards: A Personal View - which details his early adventures chasing the steam engines of the Southern Pacific railroad. Richard is survived by his wife, Marie; Denise and Todd Lietz and Gretchen and Jerry Hook, his daughters and their husbands; his grandchildren Duncan and Morgan Hook; Tom and Connie Lohse, his brother and sister-in-law; his brother-in-law Jim Ness; his sisters-in-law Patty Lohse, Pat Cool, and Mary Baker; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by Clarence and Dorothy Lohse, his father and mother; his brother Fred (Benjy) Lohse; Harry and Myrtle Ness, his father- and mother-in-law; and his brother-in-law, Jerry Ness. His family and friends will miss him, as will his constant companion Orion Purr Chance.