Pete Krabbe, of Randle, Remembered by Family as 'Humanist and Naturalist'

Jun. 12—Some may consider a "late bloomer" to be someone who finds their career or calling in their late 30s.

Pete Krabbe, 69, of Randle, bloomed the most in his 60s, his family said, while sharing memories of their loved one in Morton last week.

He'd found a place in his community, a role with an active nonprofit organization — a collaborative of diverse forest-related stakeholders known as the Pinchot Partners — and he'd found time for his artistic passions in woodworking and metal sculptures.

Krabbe would invite total strangers to family holidays, specifically "Russian Easter," and the guests would quickly become his close friends. He'd been with his partner Julie Williams for over a decade. Krabbe's older sister, Virginia Tardeweather, described her as "a bright, intelligent woman. And sassy."

Krabbe died on Thursday, June 1 in a motorcycle accident on state Route 508, heading home to Randle from Chehalis.

Knowing him to be careful on his motorcycle, his family suspected Krabbe's heart issues may have played a role in the accident. The Lewis County Coroner's Office did notice the heart issues, the family said, but could not definitively link them with his death.

"I'm just glad he went out so happy," Tardeweather said.

Krabbe's daughter, Hannah Krabbe, added, "If he did have to go out ... at least he was on his Harley."

Born in Cortez, Colorado to Adam "Rex" and Natalie Krabbe, Pete was set to have his 70th birthday on Sept. 4. Pete and Tardeweather also have an older brother.

Since he was a toddler, his sister recalled, he loved animals, the outdoors and people.

Pete Krabbe's cousin, Tammy Hankins, called him a "naturalist and humanist."

Recalling their childhood in southern Colorado, Tardeweather recalls young Pete rescuing a baby robin at 3 years old and nursing it back to health, only to accidentally drown it when he thought it needed a bath. They buried the robin in a pet cemetery.

He'd ride his older sister's Morgan horse, who would gallop like "a Queen" for her small rider, Tardeweather said.

Krabbe, his wife at the time, son Alex and daughter Hannah moved to Randle in the late 1980s. Krabbe worked for a Japanese company, Ranbell Joint Venture, which shipped specialty wood.

At various times, Krabbe worked as a logger, sawmill owner, trucker and sculptor.

Hannah Krabbe recalled her dad being the only father to join the girls for elementary school basketball practice in Glenoma.

Years ago, Krabbe first attended Pinchot Partners meetings out of curiosity.

The 20-year-old organization represents environmental, economic and educational interests in the Cowlitz Valley District of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. It includes representatives from the Cowlitz and Yakima tribes, U.S. Forest Service, the Lewis County Outdoor Recreation and Tourism commission, businesses including Hampton Lumber, research institutions and many other agencies and organizations.

"He knew the woods they were working in. He's been to the areas that they were talking about," Hannah Krabbe said. "It just made sense, it fit with him. ... It was just his niche."

Tardeweather, whose background is in the same field, said Krabbe had training in watershed management, which he'd been able to apply toward forest management planning with the Pinchot Partners.

"He really liked it," Tardeweather said. "They let him in. That was the key."

The family members said Krabbe especially enjoyed being around the smart, hardworking women in the organization, and that from a young age, he valued equality and helping to uplift women in male-dominated trades.

After more than three decades in Lewis County, Krabbe last year filed for a seat on the county commission. He lost his election bid under the "Stop the Steal" party, later noting in an interview with The Chronicle he'd filed that way "sarcastically."

On purple campaign signs, Krabbe's slogan was: "Freedom Is For Everybody."

Since beginning the grueling process of notifying people of his father's death, Alex Krabbe has been comforted by the fact that everyone he speaks with has a recent, positive story about their interactions with Pete.

"Hearing their interests and being interested in what they're interested in, he was very good about that," Alex Krabbe said. "And no judgment from him, just, hear what you want to talk about and talk to you."

Tardeweather added his listening skill was a "fabulous knack" Pete developed early in life.

Laura Krabbe, Alex's wife, said her father-in-law's life motto was "constantly, 'Be kind. Be kind.'"

A celebration of life service for Pete Krabbe will be held on July 15 at 1 p.m., at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Morton.

A GoFundMe page, set up by his children, has been published on the Pinchot Partners website and can be found at https://gofund.me/2662e052.