Duane “Bud” Koenig, of Lewiston, passed away on Friday, May 10, 2024, at the age of 92. He was born in 1932 in Billings, Mont., the middle child of William and Beatrice “MaBea” Koenig. His family moved to Clarkston when he was 10, and he often recounted tales of roaming the hillsides above Third Pond with his buddies. Dad graduated from Clarkston High School in 1950 and then attended the University of Idaho. He served as a sergeant in the Idaho National Guard, Battery C 148th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, stationed in Germany during the Korean War.
In 1956, he married Kathryn Raschka, and they had three children. They later divorced. Dad loved camping, hunting, fishing and having huge bonfires by which his many epic stories were told, captivating and scaring his kids, niece and nephews (Terry, Cindy, Kelly, Scott), for those who remember “Cat Woman.” He was very much the ringleader and organizer of many summer nights of kick the can and run sheep run involving the whole neighborhood. He worked for Potlatch No. 1 Federal Credit Union in Lewiston before moving to Seattle in 1967, where he worked for Garrett Freight Lines/ANR. There, he met and married the love of his life, Cristina Dunn, in 1977. He took early retirement in 1990 and moved back to the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley to be near family and watch his grandsons play sports.
He loved cooking fabulous holiday family dinners and tweaking recipes; his French onion soup will definitely be missed. He also enjoyed playing cards late into the night, often engaging newcomers in a spirited rendition of “YMCA.” He was well known for his ever-present dry wit and sense of humor. A skilled woodworker, Dad constantly worked on projects for his home, building storage solutions to satisfy his OCD.
He is survived by his wife, Cristina Koenig; brother, William “Skip” Koenig; son, Mark Koenig (Shannon); daughters, Lori O’Harra (John) and Kari Gabriel (Rich); grandsons, Travis and Tyler Koenig, Scott and Kyle Bean, Dakota Lohman, and Shaun Nash; 11 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Joyce Pingree. He will be greatly missed.
A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 8, at St. Stanislaus Parish Center, 633 Fifth Ave., Lewiston (behind the old school). In lieu of flowers, donations to Wounded Warrior Project or other military organizations would be appreciated.
