Obituary of Howard "John" Poler

Howard “John” Poler was born on August 30, 1945, in Bremerton, Washington, to Howard and Doris Poler. He died peacefully at his home in Olympia on December 7, 2020, from complications of dementia. He was a beloved husband, father, father-in-law, grandpa, and friend, and will be missed beyond words. 

 

John spent his early years in Kelso Washington, Jefferson, Oregon, and Portland, Oregon, before graduating from high school in Port Orford, Oregon. He spent four years in the U.S. Marines, stationed in Washington, DC (where he played in the President’s Marine Corps Band), Charleston, South Carolina, and Iceland.

 

John married Sue Grimes on November 21, 1970, and, from the beginning, John loved Sue’s family as his own.  Married for 50 years, they built a beautiful life together that has served as an inspiration to many. Their first son, Steve, was born in Everett while John was working in the Weyerhaeuser Kraft Mill and attending Everett Community College. After earning his AA degree in forestry, the family moved to Springfield, Oregon. While in Springfield, John was offered a job in the purchasing department at Weyerhaeuser that took them to Idabel, Oklahoma, where son Ryan was born, and then Longview, Aberdeen, and Federal Way, Washington. They made lifelong friends in each place they lived. John spent his entire 30-year career with Weyerhaeuser, retiring in 2001 as a national purchasing manager.

 

While his sons were growing up, John coached them in baseball and soccer and taught them to fish, hunt, snow ski, and water ski. Baseball became a huge part of their lives, and he loved watching them play from t-ball through college. Beyond the ball field, there was rarely a weekend during the fall that he wasn’t with his boys and beloved dog, Maggie, hunting for ducks on the Willapa River in Raymond, Washington. His boys were his pride and joy.

 

Life became even better when Steve married Hillary and Ryan married Stacey and John and Sue became grandparents. Spending time with their six amazing grandkids, going to their concerts, fairs and watching them play many different sports have been highlights of their lives. Unmistakable due to his bright white hair, cheerful smile, and the pride in his eyes, John could often be heard cheering the grandkids on from the stands or the sidelines, always one of their biggest supporters. 

 

John loved fishing and hunting with family and friends, cultivating a wonderful garden, woodworking, growing dahlias (best in show at the Puyallup Fair!), smoking salmon, traveling with Sue, watching Mariners baseball, playing cards and games, and spending time at their cabin on beautiful Lake Cavanaugh. John’s passions will live on through the lives of his sons and grandchildren who share many of these hobbies he introduced to them throughout his life. Nothing in life was more important to John than family, and it showed.  The pride he had in his boys grew as they became men and, when he talked about his grandkids, his eyes sparkled. 

 

John was a member of the United Churches of Olympia. He is predeceased by his parents and brothers, Mark and David. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sue; his son, Steve, and his wife, Hillary, and their children, Julia, Peyton, Ava and Bode of Montesano; and by his son, Ryan, and his wife, Stacey, and their children, Megan and Nathan of Viola, Idaho. He also leaves behind many beloved friends and extended family. 

 

No services are planned at this time.  Memorial donations may be made to Lake Cavanaugh Fire Dept. Auxiliary (LCFDA), 33982 North Shore Dr., Mount Vernon, WA  98274, or to The United Churches of Olympia, or to Olympia Union Gospel Mission. 

 

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