Lynn E. Vancil

Lynn Edwin Vancil passed peacefully on December 30, 2019, having been surrounded by loving family and friends leading up to his passing.  He is survived by his wife, Roz, his daughter Angie and grandson Everett as well as his son Tadd and his wife Michelle and their two children Alexis and Brooke.  He is also survived by his sisters Peggy Behee, Connie Parish and his brother Bob Vancil.

Lynn was born on September 25, 1945, in Seattle, Washington, to Bob and Ethelmay Vancil. The oldest of four children, he grew up in a loving family which settled in Tacoma, Washington.  Their extended family was large, and they frequently went out to the family berry farm in Yelm, Washington, surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins.  

The outdoors became a common theme in his everyday life. Whether it be camping, hunting, boating, riding bikes and playing outdoors all day long, or helping with the family garden.  In the summer of 1963, the entire family loaded up the station wagon with a trailer behind and camped along the AlCan highway all the way to Alaska.

After graduating from Lincoln High School, Lynn headed to Clark College in Vancouver for two years.  In 1965, he transferred to Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Lynn knew from the very beginning he wanted to be a Forester.  Hence, receiving his Bachelor of Science Degree in Forest Management in June of 1968.  

Besides receiving his degree in Forestry, two other major events occurred during those years at WSU. He met his future wife Roz on a crazy ski trip to Banff, Canada, and he purchased a 1954 Jaguar XK120 DHC that he drove while at school and then recently restored.  

A few days after Lynn graduated from WSU, he was drafted into the Army and became a Maintenance Sergeant in the Aviation Battalion of the 9th Infantry Division in Dong Tam, Vietnam.  

When he returned from Vietnam, Roz and Lynn were married a week after she graduated from College.  They moved to Eugene, Oregon, where he enrolled at the University of Oregon and received his Masters in Business specializing in Forest Industries Management in 1973.  

Lynn started as a summer employee with the Forest Service in 1967 on the Umpqua National Forest at the Tiller Ranger Station.  During his years at the U of O, he worked on the Willamette National Forest at the Rigdon Ranger District. In late 1973, he was transferred to the Supervisor’s Office in Eugene.  Lynn’s career then took him to Washington DC, Denver, back to Washington DC and then finally in 1990, he was transferred to the Portland Regional Office. He retired from the Forest Service in 2005 after dedicating his life to his country both in the military and as a civil servant for almost 40 years.  

Woodworking would be the hobby that Lynn took with him everywhere, along with gardening.  He built much of the furniture that is in the house, but  also built wagons and doll houses for the kids.  And, he always had a nice garden - both flowers and veggies. Lynn and the kids also built an outdoor garden railway with about 250 feet of track and assorted buildings.    

Then there is the Jaguar.  In the early 2000’s, Lynn took the car completely apart and started the long process of restoring it.  In the summer of 2018, the Jaguar finally hit the road again. It was a joyous occasion to see him sitting in that car with the wind running through his hair.  

As he became a grandparent, Lynn was always available to teach his grandchildren whatever they wanted to know.  He’d be in the garage teaching them how to use a saw or out in the garden helping them harvest beans or berries.  He was a man who rarely said no to anyone, especially his three grandkids. 

Lynn enjoyed travelling after retirement to many places in Europe, Australia and the South Pacific, the Far East, South America, Mexico, Canada and of course the U.S. Camping, ocean cruising and road tripping were just part of the adventure.  

Lynn was gentle, kind, loving and always put everyone else first. Today’s celebration can only touch on what a special person he was to everyone he knew. 

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