Category Archives: In Memoriam

In Memoriam

A tribute to “King Kong” Ken Nelson

Campbell River Mirror
July 29, 2026
Category: In Memoriam
Region: Canada West

Ken Nelson

In Loving Memory ~ November 14, 1942 – July 9, 2026

It’s with deep sadness we announce the passing of Kenneth Arthur Nelson, who passed away peacefully with his family by his side. Born in Garden Bay (Pendor Harbour), BC, Ken was raised on the Sunshine Coast. …Ken spent his entire career in the logging industry. After the tragic death of his older brother, Jim Catterall, in 1978, Ken purchased Eldred River Logging, becoming one of the most respected contractors on the West Coast; giving many people their first start in the industry in Mooyah Bay where many have timeless memories. A Pacific Northwest Logger Sports icon of over 30 years, Ken became well known by everyone as “King Kong”, where he won multiple Canadian and World Championships, participating abroad in the United States, England, Spain, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia. [Read more about logger sports and Ken’s contribution in The Land of the Legends]

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From Youbou to Crofton — Remembering Rob Kroek

H. W. Wallace Cremation & Burial Centre
June 15, 2026
Category: In Memoriam
Region: Canada West

Rob Kroek

Rob Kroek, who passed away on June 5 at age 71, devoted more than five decades to British Columbia’s forest industry and was well known throughout the Cowichan Valley and Vancouver Island forest community. Rob’s forestry career began at just 16 years old, working weekends and summers in cleanup at the Youbou sawmill. He later moved through a variety of mill positions, including the challenging role of tallyman, earning a reputation for versatility, hard work and a willingness to learn. As the Youbou operation declined, Rob repeatedly adapted to new roles before eventually transferring to Crofton Pulp and Paper, where he continued his career until retiring in 2016. Over 55 years in the industry, Rob embodied the belief that there is value in “knowing how to do more than one thing.” Colleagues knew him as a dependable co-worker, a thoughtful mentor and a proud forest industry worker. [Condensed from the family obituary – see Read More]

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William (Bill) Claude Williams Obituary

Everden Rust Funeral Services
May 15, 2026
Category: In Memoriam
Region: Canada West

Bill Williams

Bill Williams lived a life as expansive as the forests he dedicated himself to. He was born in Vancouver on February 28, 1947. Bill married Leslie in August 1976. After graduating from UBC Forestry and beginning his career with the BC Ministry of Forests, Bill moved to Prince George in 1978, where he built much of his life, later finding a new home in Penticton in 2017. For most of his working life, Bill was a Registered Professional Forester, a career he pursued with quiet pride and genuine commitment. His work left a lasting and positive mark on the forests of British Columbia, a legacy that will endure. Those who knew Bill best knew him first as a storyteller. On the long drives from Prince George to Vancouver with his family, he had a gift for spinning tales that kept the kids captivated for hours. To unwind from work, Bill found community through his love of bluegrass music. 

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Jim Rustad dies at 88

The Prince George Citizen
May 11, 2026
Category: In Memoriam
Region: Canada, Canada West

Jim Rustad

The world has lost a great man, a pillar of the Prince George community, as well as, a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. James “Jim” Murray Rustad passed away on May 4, 2026, at the age of 88. He was born in 1937. Jim is lovingly remembered by his wife of nearly 67 years, Noreen Rustad. …The Rustad family came to Prince George from Saskatchewan in the mid 1940’s, and Jim grew up as part of the family that built and ran the Rustad Bros. sawmill and planer mill which became an important part of the region’s economy. Jim took on increasing responsibilities until he was President in the early 1970’s. Jim played a leading role in the forest industry of BC including chairing the Council of Forest Industries and other provincial boards. The forest industry recognized his contribution with the Paul Bunyan Award in 1992. Northwood bought the mill in 1991, and Jim worked for 3 more years and then retired. 

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Robert K. Irving dies at 71

By Shane Magee
CBC News
May 19, 2026
Category: In Memoriam
Region: Canada East

Robert K. Irving

A leading member of New Brunswick’s Irving family has died. Robert K. Irving, the co-CEO of J.D. Irving Ltd., died at his Moncton home Tuesday. His death was announced by the family in a statement. “It is with profound sadness that the family of Robert Kenneth Irving mark his passing today in Moncton, New Brunswick, following a courageous battle with cancer,” the statement said. …Robert Irving led J.D. Irving with his brother, Jim Irving. The company is a major employer in the region with forestry, retail, transportation and consumer products divisions. …New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt issued a statement offering condolences. “His contributions to our province have left a lasting impact, providing many New Brunswickers with good-paying jobs, supporting community organizations and championing New Brunswick as a place to invest,” Holt said.

Also see the press release from Irving: Irving Family Announces the Passing of Robert K. Irving

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Long before it was cool, Ted Turner was fighting to save the planet

By Drew Kann
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
May 7, 2026
Category: In Memoriam
Region: United States

@Wiki

Turner, who died Wednesday at the age of 87, will be remembered as a buccaneering entrepreneur whose companies reshaped media, news, advertising and sports. But for all his business success, Turner’s efforts to protect the planet itself and its few remaining wild places could be his most enduring legacy. Considered the real “Captain Planet”, Turner protected American prairies, helped restore iconic species and embraced renewable energy as a climate-change solution years before it was en vogue. …Starting in the 1990s, Turner began buying land across the Western U.S. — overseen by Turner Enterprises, it stretches from South Dakota to New Mexico. The land is privately owned, but huge swaths are managed to provide habitat for rare and endangered species that once thrived in the West. It is the American bison, however, that Turner’s name has become synonymous with. …Never one to shy away from sharing his views, Turner spoke openly about his climate worries — and pushed industry to embrace solutions. 

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Past forestry dean at University of Montana, Sidney Frissell, dies at 87

Legacy.com
July 31, 2026
Category: In Memoriam
Region: US West

Sidney S. Frissell died in Hamilton, MT, on March 13, 2026. He was a Forestry professor and Dean at the University of Montana, woodsman and an avid birder, watercolor painter of birds in their natural habitats, and lifelong Ham radio operator. …Sid earned a Forestry degree at the University of Minnesota and went to work for the US Forest Service in Randall, Washington. Within a year he returned to graduate studies at Minnesota, earning a Master’s degree and then pursuing a PhD. …In collaboration with colleagues he made lasting contributions in wildlife ecology and management, forest recreation, and wilderness management, coauthoring a methodology for assessing sustainability of use of campsites still applied by forest managers today. After serving several years as Associate Dean of the School of Forestry at the University of Montana, he was promoted to Dean in 1986. …He retired at a relatively young age to pursue a second career in wildlife illustration and bird painting…

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Richard Guy Bennett Sr., a pillar of the Idaho lumber industry, died at 92

The Idaho Statesman
June 22, 2026
Category: In Memoriam
Region: United States, US West

Richard Bennett

Richard Guy Bennett Sr., 92, a true pillar of the Idaho lumber industry and a beloved patriarch, passed away peacefully at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, on June 12, 2026. Born in Killam, Alberta, Canada on July 25, 1933, Richard spent his early years in Canada before the family relocated to Clarkston, Washington. His legendary journey in the timber industry began…  in the early 1940s, his father secured a contract to manufacture ammunition boxes for the war effort. It soon became apparent that a dedicated facility was needed to support the increasing demand, and Bennett Box Factory was born. Over time, the operation expanded and evolved into a full-scale lumber mill. With Dick’s vision and leadership, the company continued to grow as he successfully negotiated the purchase of additional mills and timberlands, helping build one of the region’s most respected family-owned lumber businesses. …A funeral service will be held on Friday, June 26, 2026

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Pliny Fisk III, “mad scientist of the green building movement” and co-director of Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, dies at 82

By David Dewane
The Architect’s Newspaper
August 4, 2026
Category: In Memoriam
Region: US East

Pliny Fisk III

Pliny Fisk III, the exuberant and visionary co-director of the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems (CMPBS),died on July 27 in Austin, Texas, due to complications of ALS. He was 82 years old. Despite the challenges of living with the disease, Fisk continued creating and collaborating until the last days of his life. Fisk earned a reputation as one of the founding figures of the modern sustainability movement in design… “Pliny was the beloved mad scientist of the green building movement, the innovator and linkage maker,” said Jason F. McLennan, creator of the Living Building Challenge and chief sustainability officer at Perkins&Will. “He was the one who saw decades ahead of others on embodied carbon and natural materials and found connections between strands of research, data, and possibility. He will be missed by us all dearly and profoundly.” …Fisk embodied the ecological designer archetype. He found boundless inspiration in natural systems, and his unique skill was translating natural processes and ambient materials into a never-ending stream of daring projects.

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The co-owner of a Maine lumber mill has died of injuries from the mill fire and explosion

Associated Press in MyNorthwest
July 3, 2026
Category: In Memoriam
Region: United States, US East

PORTLAND, Maine — The co-owner of a Maine lumber mill has died from injuries he sustained during a fire and explosion at the facility, bringing to three the number of fatalities. Alden J. Robbins died Thursday from injures he suffered in the May 15 fire at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont, according statements Friday from Maine Gov. Janet Mills and the Robbins family. …Two firefighters died from injures sustained while fighting the blaze. They were Searsmont Assistant Fire Chief Wayne Woodbury, 76; and Andrew Cross, 27, of the Morrill Volunteer Fire Department. Ten people were injured, including Robbins’ daughter Lily. …“Alden was the heart of our family in so many ways, and nothing mattered more to him than the people he loved,” his family said. …Mills said Robbins was a leader in Maine’s lumber industry for decades, “and a devoted steward of one of our state’s most storied businesses.” …Robbins Family shares statement regarding death of Alden Robbins.

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Dr. Michael Kocurek, Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University, Has Passed Away at 83

PaperAge
June 1, 2026
Category: In Memoriam
Region: United States, US East

Michael Kocurek

Dr. Michael J. Kocurek passed away on May 26, 2026, surrounded by his family and under the care of hospice. Founder of the Paper Science Department at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1970 and Professor Emeritus of Paper Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University, Michael was one of the world’s most recognized educators in the pulp and paper industry. …Michael received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering with a specialization in Paper Science and Engineering at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and at Syracuse University. During his illustrious career, Michael taught over 6,500 industry operators and professionals across more than 200 paper mills and 50 organizations. …His honors include TAPPI Fellow, TAPPI Distinguished Service Award, TAPPI Paper and Board Division Technical Achievement Award, and induction into the prestigious and exclusive Paper Industry International Hall of Fame. …Michael’s full obituary can be found at Legacy

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Hardwood Sector Loses Influential Educator and Wood Products Specialist Dr. Daniel Cassens

Hippensteel Funeral Service
May 4, 2026
Category: In Memoriam
Region: US East

Daniel Cassens

Dr. Daniel L. Cassens, Professor Emeritus of Purdue University, passed away at IU Health Arnett Hospital in Lafayette on May 3, 2026. …He obtained degrees related to wood and wood manufacturing, including a B.S. degree from the University of Illinois, an M.S. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dr. Cassens was a professor and wood products specialist in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, arriving in 1977. His prior employment included positions at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin; and the California Forest Products Laboratory in Berkeley, California. During college, he worked summers at a hardwood sawmill. …He collaborated with numerous trade associations, including the National Hardwood Lumber Association, the American Hardwood Export Council, the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermens Association, and the Forest Products Society, among others. …Dr. Cassens authored extensively on the topics of wood decay, wood finishing, and wood preservation. 

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