Frederick Carl Duthweiler
Apr 16, 1936 -
Jul 6, 2026
Frederick Carl Duthweiler, age 90, passed away at his home in Goldendale, Wash., on July 6, 2026. He filled his life with family, friends, love, laughter, hard work and serious play.
Fred was born on April 16, 1936, in Islip Terrace, N.Y., the second son of Edward and Frieda (Vogt) Duthweiler. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Mallan, a small mining town in the Idaho panhandle. The family later settled in Spokane, Wash., where he attended school.
In 1960, he graduated from the University of Washington in mechanical engineering and in 1973, Fred registered as a Professional Engineer (PE) in the state of Alaska.
Fred and Sue Ashurst married on July 12, 1986, in Anchorage, Alaska. They traveled, often to Germany and to Fred's ancestral home of Nussdorf to visit relatives and sample local wines. The two rode mules on Molokai and camels in Australia; snorkeled with rays in Mexico and sharks on Maui; helped butcher a moose in Alaska and harvest grapes in Germany; viewed our world from mountain tops in Canada and from below sea level in Death Valley; traveled by steam train in Colorado and by Model T Ford in Washington state.
Telling friends that he disliked looking for a job, he worked for Union Oil of California throughout his career, most of that time in Alaska. Fred was responsible for engineering work on several oil and gas production platforms in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
He spent two winters in arctic Alaska, testing construction methods for building an island made of ice in the Beaufort Sea. The following year, Fred built an ice island for Unocal's exploratory drilling in the area. By summer's end the ice melted, leaving no trace of the work done at the site. Fred holds three patents related to oil exploration and production in the arctic.
Fred was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and the Explorers Club. In 1981, ASME named him Alaska Engineer of the Year. SPE chose him to be their Alaska Engineer of the Year for 1986.
His kids meant everything to him. He believed it was more important to give them experiences rather than money. The three spent several weeks each summer at his gold mine near Denali National Park. Together, they floated down the Yukon River from White Horse to Dawson, and fished the Kenai River. In his PA-14 airplane and his camper the group explored Alaska.
Fred accumulated old cars and trucks and, seeing beauty beneath the rust, he restored them. At one point, his fleet included two Model T Fords, a mid-1930s Mercedes Benz roadster replica, an MG, Diamond T farm truck and a late-1940s Ford pickup.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Edward. He is survived by his wife, Sue; children, Kathi Donald and Scott (Susan) Duthweiler; grandchildren, Kevin, Paige, Brandon Donald, Cole and Kate Duthweiler; and niece and nephews, Diane, Christian and Mark Duthweiler.
As Fred wished, no services are planned.
Memorial contributions may be sent to The Salvation Army, 111 Queen Anne Avenue #300, Seattle, WA 98109; or a charity of your choice.
