Carl Arvi Pykonen 1933-2000

SUNNYSIDE,WA - Carl Arvi Pykonen died at his home in Sunnyside, WA November 8, 2000 following a six-month battle with lung cancer. He was 67 years old.

Carl was born in Castle Rock, WA. On July 28, 1933 and spent his youth in Portland, Oregon. After graduating from Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland in 1951, he spent two years as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict.

Carl returned to Portland, Oregon and began working for Columbia Hardwood and Moulding in Tigard, OR after his discharge. He later received a construction engineering degree from OSU in 1963 and continued to work for Columbia Hardwood and Moulding as a production manager. During this time he met Gayle Amundson of Sunnyside, WA and they wed on March 30, 1972.

The couple later moved to Sunnyside, WA where Carl worked for White Swan Moulding Co. as production manager. Later, he worked for J.A. Jones and Bechtel Co. at Hanford as a construction engineer. This included assignments abroad.

Meanwhile, the couple maintained their farm near Sunnyside, WA where Gayle remained with their three sons, Eric, Wayne, and Thomas. In 1988, after five years of travel, Carl left Bechtel and moved the family to Sherwood, OR. The Pykonen boys attended Sherwood schools where Carl and Gayle were involved in many school activities. Carl returned to Columbia Hardwood and Moulding as general manager in 1988 and remained there until he retired in 1997. The couple returned to their farm in Sunnyside, WA in 1999.

Carl will be remembered not only for his many skills and accomplishments, but for his irreverent sense of humor, his irrepressible charm and the love he shared with his family and many friends. Carl was an avid outdoorsman, gourmet cook, a master woodworker, and mechanic.

Survivors include his wife, Gayle, Sunnyside, WA; one daughter, Janet Minton, Vancouver, WA.; three sons, Eric and his wife, Danielle, of Tigard, OR.; Wayne, of Sunnyside, WA; and Thomas, of Sherwood, OR; two granddaughters, Rachael and Leslie Minton, Vancouver; and two sisters, Betty Dyck, Loomis, CA.; and Shirley Taylor and her husband, Jim, of Portland, OR.

His father and stepmother, Skeets and Maxine Pykonen, and his mother Nettie Cruver preceded Carl in death.

There will be a celebration of life for Carl Pykonen at Sherwood High School in Sherwood, OR, at 2 PM on Saturday, November 18, 2000. Remembrances may be sent to the Lower Valley Hospice, 3920 Outlook Rd., Sunnyside, WA, 98944. Gayle Pykonen may be contacted at 190 Wells Rd, Sunnyside, WA 98944.