Eugene Kenneth Itzen

Eugene Kenneth Itzen was born on June 13, 1931 to John and Jessie Itzen of South Haven, Michigan. He died on Nov. 1 at his home in Yuma, Arizona, after a short but serious illness. He was where he wanted to be — in the desert, where he loved living.

Eugene was an only child, whose parents divorced when he was 12. He lived with his dad because he was given a special permit to drive his father, the only doctor in town, to house calls. He was raised knowing that helping others was very important and meaningful. He spent the rest of his life fulfilling that mission.

He entered the U.S. Navy in 1949, just after high school graduation. He spent most of his time as an engineer in San Francisco, laying cable in the Pacific. He met his first wife, Aileen, and they married in 1953, shortly after his discharge.

They moved to Corvallis, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Oregon State College, and went to work at a local junior high school. While working as a shop teacher and having two daughters, he achieved his master’s degree in education.

He and Aileen worked summers and vacations on the family ranch in Mist. They worked in their lumber mill, raised cattle and worked the fields. He found his first large family, and loved the sense of it. They were married 23 years before they divorced. Aileen passed away in 2007.

While in Corvallis, he began a Sea Scout program. It eventually had two boats, up to 20 kids and was organized similar to a U.S. Navy unit with dress uniforms, ceremonies and river trips as far away as Astoria. It helped teach the kids responsibility, mechanics, navigation and increased their self-esteem.

This group often volunteered their services for emergency situations, such as the Christmas flood rescuing stranded families at their homes. He was very proud of this group, and in 2017, he was able to reunite many of the scouts for a final trip around Tillamook Rock on the Ironwood.

He was given the responsibility of planning the layout of both the wood and metal shops in the new junior high school in Corvallis, and often brought his daughters to play in the shop while he worked after-hours.

In 1968, he introduced and led the Work Experience Program to the Corvallis School District to help encourage at-risk junior high school students to stay in school by seeing how hard it would be to find a job with no high school diploma.

In 1964, he began charter fishing in Newport at Rich’s Tradewinds on the six-man Fishon with his daughter, Loris. It was a new adventure. In 1969, he began fishing the Dan B, a 14-passenger boat. He worked from May through October, with up to six trips a day. In 1970, he moved to Seagull Charters. In 1971, he moved to Astoria and commuted on weekends to Newport to fish.

In 1972, he began chartering in Warrenton, and ran the 12-passenger Shamrock, which he later purchased. In 1973, he joined Thunderbird Charters in the West Mooring Basin with eight other charter boats. He replaced the old Shamrock with a larger one, and continued to charter and, over time, expanded his rental business to tours, hauling passengers during the Portland Rose Festival and the Astoria Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival, and it was the designated Astoria Regatta Court vessel for many years.

In 1974, he met Billie Carper in Astoria. They married in 1976. Billie was the love of his life, and he encouraged her in achieving her dreams, including a charter license and an associate degree. She too had a large family that he embraced. They loved spending time together, and purchased a house in Yuma, where they spent winters entertaining visitors. They were married 35 years before she passed away in 2011.

He continued working at Clatsop Community College, leading the Cooperative Work Experience program, until he was promoted to assistant to the president for the last two years of his tenure. When he retired from education, he and Billie expanded the charter/shipping business they had built, and earned a good living being on the water and experiencing new adventures. He even worked briefly as a tour captain on the Colorado River.

Eugene usually drove to Astoria in the fall, but due to COVID-19 and the forest fires, he became a full-time Yuma resident in 2020. He had great neighbors and enjoyed ordering his martini once a week. Having a blended family was a source of pride and importance to him.

Known as very knowledgeable about a variety of issues, conversations were often long and enlightening, with just a twist of the blarney. His attention to detail was remarkable, and present to the end. Eugene lived every day to the fullest, doing the things that were ingrained in him.

He thought of himself as a man of accomplishment. The rest of us, however, will always see him as a legend.

Eugene is survived by his family: daughters, Loris (Joe) Cook, of Ilwaco, Washington, and Lynda Wilson, of Sequim, Washington; and stepdaughters, Kathy Carper, of Libby, Montana, Debbie (Brian) Lucosyk, of Astoria, and Markell Chandler, of Libby. He has 17 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wives; a stepson, Dana Carper; and two step-grandchildren, Hannah and Jordan Chandler.

A celebration of life is planned for late February in Astoria.