John Thilenius

Longtime Juneau resident John Thilenius died May 9, 2008, in Juneau. He was 77.

Born April 24, 1931, in Los Angeles, he was a Juneau resident for 31 years. Family members said he was a research plant ecologist who loved nature and spent his entire life working and playing in the outdoors.

They said he was an avid hunter and gun collector and traveled extensively in Africa, South and Central America and Australia with his wife, Carol. He worked and retired from the U.S. Forest Service, where he did research in plant ecology in the Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming and on the Copper River Delta in Alaska.

He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and attended Oregon State University on the GI Bill where he received a Bachelor of Science. He continued his education and received a Master of Science from the University of Idaho and a doctorate from Oregon State University.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Carol Thilenius.

He is survived by his sons, James and David Thilenius; daughter-in-law, Sherry Thilenius; and granddaughters, Claire and Grace Thilenius.

Donations and memorials can be made to your favorite charity in his name. The family may be contacted at dmthilenius@aol.com.