Obituary of David Edward Koehn

David Edward Kӧehn died at 11:59 P.M. on Wednesday, October 16, 2024. He was 88 years old. Dave died at home where he had been cared for by his family, a wonderful team of local caregivers, and Hospice of Santa Cruz County. Dave was born on August 1, 1936, in Berkeley, California to Edward and Anna (Lowen) Kӧehn. He grew up in Berkeley and attended Berkeley Covenant Church as a child and into adulthood. He graduated from Acalanes High School. He attended Rochester Institute of Technology in New York for training in Brown and Sharpe Screw Machine engineering. Dave married Lois Corinne Larson, the sister of his best friend Keith, on June 17th, 1961. The couple settled in Berkeley with Dave working in his father’s business, Edward Kӧehn Screw Machine Products. They welcomed their two daughters, Sara and Sonja, in 1964 and 1965. During these years Dave served in the Air Force Reserves. In 1971 Dave and Lois moved their family to the grounds of Mission Springs Christian Conference Center in Scotts Valley, California when Dave took the job of maintenance supervisor for the camp. He mentored and worked alongside many, many young summer staff members and those on the permanent staff. Dave and Lois designed and built their home at the top of the hill, and it became a welcoming gathering place for so many over the years. After leaving employment at Mission Springs in 1992, Dave spent the next ten years working once again in the family machine shop in Berkeley which was then owned by his brother Paul. Once he retired, Dave spent many years in charge of maintenance and upkeep at Community Covenant Church in Scotts Valley. Over the years Dave was involved at church in many different ways. He often sang in the choir or performed solos on a Sunday morning. He was part of the church worship team. He spent at least one term as church chairman. He was involved in various building projects, including building the current church on El Rancho Drive. Dave was always willing to use his skills to help others, and a great many people reading this will be able to tell the story of a time Dave helped them build or fix something! His many acts of service to others stemmed from his strong faith in God. He was a living example of Christ’s service and love to others, and the promise of heaven was a great comfort to him. Dave loved camping with his family and also on his own solo trips in his famous red truck. Part of the fun for him was devising creative tools and equipment for specific tasks, like a tree-mounted shaving station for himself and a custom wooden camping-kitchen box with all the necessary stuff. He was always up first, starting a morning fire and enjoying the quiet. He and Lois enjoyed planning these family trips, with delicious meals and fun activities for everyone. They also loved taking road trips together, just the two of them, setting off with a detailed roadmap and no reservations, enjoying the adventure of finding new places to eat and funky places to spend the night. Dave was an avid reader of fiction and of comics. He read stories and novels aloud to his daughters every night and inspired their lifelong love of reading. He liked to use a dollar bill as a bookmark. Steinbeck was his favorite author by far, along with Carl Hiaasen and Chistopher Moore in recent years. Dave was a loving husband, father and grandfather, adored by his wife, children, grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. His family is grateful for all the years of living and loving and learning with him. Peace be to his memory. Dave is survived by his wife Lois, his daughters Sara (and James) Young and Sonja (and Randy) Davenport, grandchildren Abigail and Elijah Young, brother Paul (and Beatrice) Kӧehn, and many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sister Margaret Vahlstrom, and two nephews, Michael Kӧehn and J.P. Kӧehn. A memorial service will be held at Community Covenant Church in Scotts Valley on Sunday, November 17, at 2:00 P.M. Donations can be made to Mission Springs Conference Center, Community Covenant Church of Scotts Valley, or Hospice of Santa Cruz County.