A loving father, friend and husband was lost with the passing of Paul Robert Koski on Tuesday, July 26, 2022. It is with great sadness that we announce his departure, but with gratitude and thanks that we were able to know and love him.
Paul was born Nov. 25, 1953, in Aberdeen Washington to Mary Aune Koski and Ollie Reino Koski. At his childhood home on Henry Street in East Aberdeen, Paul first learned his parents’ native language, Finnish. He attended McDermoth Elementary where he learned English, made friends and learned to play the trombone. He attended Miller Junior High and Weatherwax High School, where Paul’s gregarious nature resulted in lifelong friendships and memories. Having many friends continued to be a theme throughout Paul’s life — everyone seemed to know him. He finished high school with accomplishments in track and music, including concert, pep, marching and jazz bands. A highlight of Paul’s high school time was the AHS band trip to Europe. Paul loved music, playing both the trombone and guitar, and though he played less over the years, he kept his instruments handy so that they were within easy reach when he needed them.
After high school, Paul attended the University of Washington, where he graduated with a degree in business. While studying at college, he joined the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and served as Social Chair, where his friendship circle grew considerably, again establishing lifelong connections that he cherished. Always a hard worker with high endurance, Paul worked summers at the family business, A&B Machine Shop in Aberdeen, while going through college. He enjoyed comedy, being a comedian himself, and gathered with friends for the weekly airing of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. During this time he grew closer to his first wife, Susan Elaine Baxter.
Paul and Susan married on Aug. 10, 1974, at the Presbyterian Church in Aberdeen. He began working full-time at A&B Machine Shop alongside his parents, where he honed his skill as an expert machinist and welder. Paul and Susan bought a piece of land in the Wishkah Valley with the dream of building a farm. Paul would realize that dream, and spend 45 years continuously building and improving upon his homestead. What started as a small travel trailer in an old field on a dead end road, grew to include a house, barn, sauna, chicken coop, pastures and more. Additions to the house and massive outdoor landscaping projects followed. Paul thoughtfully planted hundreds of trees and created a park-like property with a pond, orchard and trails. He enjoyed walking about and seeing his trees grow and his plans come to fruition.
Paul and Susan raised three children: Jessica Renae, Erica Marie and Kristopher Paul. The children were raised at the family home, or “the ranch” as Paul liked to call it. He took the kids on bike rides, weekend trips to Lost Lake and winter ski trips.
In 1994, Paul took ownership of another family business, Harbor Hydraulics, and ran the business for 22 years until retiring in 2016 when his daughter and son-in-law, Erica and Bill Luzzi, became the new owners. Paul grew the business through multiple shop expansions and purchases of new equipment. He knew mills, shops and logging operations throughout the Olympic Peninsula, and made trips around the “101 loop,” with business calls along the way. Paul’s small business was a source of pride, and he mentored young machinists as they relocated to Aberdeen and learned the trade.
Paul found new love when he met Wendy Lynn Walter while chaperoning his son’s grade school band field trip. Their first date at Ocean Crest Restaurant turned into a candlelight dinner when they arrived and found the power to be out. Their relationship grew with bike rides, outdoor projects, gardening, traveling, boating and cooking. Smoked meats, soups and breads were his specialty, which he generously shared with family and friends.
Paul and Wendy married at home in the Wishkah Valley on July 23, 2000, in an outdoor ceremony. They honeymooned in the British Virgin Islands, exploring, snorkeling and renting their first boat together. This led to later rentals of bigger boats and longer trips in Puget Sound and Canada. In 2010, Paul and Wendy purchased their own boat which began 12 years of adventures on the vessel Hatts Off. Most summers included motoring to the San Juans and destinations as far north as the Broughton Islands near the north end of Vancouver Island. Freshly caught crab was frequently on the menu, and he taught his grandchildren to crab. He loved to share the boat, and frequently invited family and friends to join them on adventures. Paul also enjoyed a good party, whether it be a Lost Lake Pig Roast or an infamous Koski family “work party.” He always had a new project, and he employed a combination of artistry and engineering in his creations.
Paul was proud of his Finnish heritage. As a child, he spent summers visiting his grandparents in Finland, working on the farm and learning the culture. He was a lifetime member of the United Finnish Kaleva Brothers & Sisters Aberdeen Lodge #9, including spending time as President and Elder. As a child he spent Saturday nights at dances at the Lodge’s Randall Street Hall, and as an adult he hosted summer picnics for the group. Paul rediscovered his passion for visiting Finland when he took Wendy and the kids there in 2003, his first trip back since 1968. It was the first of many regular trips, sometimes twice per year, to visit his Finnish family and friends. It included trips for Midsummer and winter snowmobiling in Lapland. He became closer to his Finnish family, including a sister, cousins, uncles, aunts and extended family. He made close friendships that continued across the world through video chats. Through the years, Paul made trips to the “old country” with Wendy, his parents, his children and even his grandchildren, staying in the family farmhouse that dated to the 1700s. He also enjoyed hosting his Finnish family on their trips to the United States.
Paul is survived by his wife, Wendy Koski, of Aberdeen; daughter Jessica Jurasin (Tyler Jurasin) of Aberdeen; daughter Erica Luzzi (Bill Luzzi) of Montesano; son Kristopher Koski (Alexa Amarok) of Aberdeen; grandchildren Nolan and Ben Jurasin; sister Ann Koski-Smith of Olympia; brother Mark Koski of Shelton; sister Ulla Pentillä of Vaasa, Finland; aunt Liisa Pääkkönen of Tervajoki, Finland; nieces, nephews, cousins, and many extended family members and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ollie and Mary Koski.
A memorial service, open to all friends and family, will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, in the chapel of Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen. It will be followed by a graveside service at Fern Hill Cemetery. A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, at Paul and Wendy’s home in the Wishkah Valley.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to one of the following scholarships at the Grays Harbor Community Foundation: the United Finnish Kaleva Brothers and Sisters Aberdeen Lodge 9 Scholarship Fund or the Hampton Wines Music Scholarship Fund. Donations can be made online at www.gh-cf.org, or by mailing to the Community Foundation at PO Box 615, Hoquiam, WA 98550, with the fund of choice specified.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Twibell’s Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen.
