Obituary of John H. Schenk

Born to Illione and Frederick Schenk in Vancouver Washington, John Hiram Schenk was the youngest of 3 children and is survived by his brother Larry Underwood and his sister Illione Morrison. He was raised in Corvallis, attended Oregon State University, and was an avid Beaver Fan his entire life. He was a proud member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity and made lifelong friends there. Dad was also an original member of “ The Astoria Clowns “ which was a fun loving group that had modified and painted an old car and drove it in parades and events to support the building of the Astoria Bridge. It has been said that there would be no Astoria bridge without “ The Clowns “ . Dad was also a lover of animals, especially dogs , they were a special part of his happiness. After graduating from Oregon State in 1953, John served in the US Air Force. He had a long and successful career in real estate, first with Shell Oil Company, and later as an independent commercial broker. He was married twice, first to Marilyn Ottis, with whom he had two children, Judy Lynn Chambers of Wilsonville, Oregon and John Christopher Schenk of Portland, Oregon. He is survived by his second wife of 37 years Joy Schenk, who gave John the gift of 4 stepchildren; Jeffrey Clark Jones of Portland, Mark Franklin (Jonesy) Jones of Plano, Texas, Julie Anne Jones of Walla Walla, Washington, and Melissa Susan McGuire of Milwaukie, Oregon. He was also extremely proud of all 8 of his grandchildren; Sam and Nick Schenk of Portland, Gabrielle and Meghan Jones of Portland, Sam and Eli Gentzler of Walla Walla, and Cameron and Madison McGuire of Milwaukie. Our father's great gift was in being a good friend and a giver of himself. He had a wickedly sharp and smart sense of humor which stayed with him even through the difficult last year of his life. He never met a stranger and was know to strike up conversations with people as if they were old friends, no matter where he was. He was a vintage airplane enthusiast and made annual trips to the Reno Air Races with his sons for many years. He loved Clint Eastwood movies and Louis L'Amour novels. His legacy of being a good friend, husband, father and grandfather lives in on in the memory of all those who had the privilege of knowing him. His wishes were to be cremated and his ashes spread at Swift Lake, Washington, where he built a cabin which is still enjoyed by his family to this day. Thank you for being our father's friend. The love of his friends and family was very important to him and he got to take that love with him to the end. We will miss you, Dad, and are grateful for the legacy you left to all whose lives you touched. A celebration of life will be held at Wilhelm Funeral Home, in Sellwood, Portland Oregon will be held on Tuesday 6/24 at 2:00 PM followed by a gathering and story telling at Chris and Anne Schenks house in Portland. Service Information