Résumé

Draftsman, R.C. Sandberg, Architect, Rock Island, IL, 1938 and 1946.

1st Lieutenant (pilot), U.S. Army Air Force, 1942-1945. Koehler began his Army service on 04/04/1942. He flew 35 combat missions and received a purple heart during World War II. (See "Koehler and Fraser File for County Councilman," West Seattle Herald, vol. XLVI, no. 3, 01/16/1969, p. 1.)

Draftsman, Kruse and Parish, Architects, Davenport, IA, 1939 and 1947.

Designer, George W. Stoddard, Architect, Seattle, WA, 1949.

Principal, Kenneth Eugene Koehler, Seattle, WA, 1950-1951.

Assistant Manager, Concrete Products Association of WA, Seattle, WA, c. 1951- Pit and Quarry magazine stated in an issue of 1951: "Attesting the association's desire to provide ample technical advice for its products users and additional help toward improving and expanding the industry, the membership named an architect to its staff. Kenneth E. Koehler, Seattle architect..." (See Pit and Quarry, vol. 43, no. 2, 1951, p. 24.)

Teaching

Assistant Instructor, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, IL, 1947-1948.

Professional Activities

When surveyed in 1962, Koehler indicated that he was a Registered Architect in the States of IL and WA.

He was also NCARB-Certified as of 1962.

Honorary Member, Alpha Rho Chi.

Koehler joined the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Washington (later the Seattle) Chapter, in 1957.

College

B.S. Arch., University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, IL, c. 1938-1940 and 1946-1948. In 1942, according to his US Army records, Koehler had already had two years of college.

Relocation

Koehler was born in Columbus, OH, but lived in the Longview neighborhood of Rock Island, IL, by age 9. The US Census of 1930 recorded the Koehler Family living at 810 14 1/2 Street in a residence valued at $5,300. The household consisted of Koehler's two parents, his brother, Lloyd, who was four years younger, and his Aunt Ella Koehler. (See Ancestry.com "1930 United States Federal Census for Kenneth E Koehler,"Source Citation, Year: 1930; Census Place: Rock Island, Rock Island, Illinois; Roll: 553; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 0076; Image: 509.0; FHL microfilm: 2340288, accessed 05/27/2015.)

Koehler enlisted in the US Army Air Force in 1942 and was stationed at Camp Grant outside of Rockford, IL. By 1944, he was posted to a base near Sioux City, IA. where he and his wife occupied Apartment #104 in the building at 2001 Summit Street, A year later, the Army transferred him to Denver, CO, where he and Margaret had a house at 441 Grape Street. They arrived in Seattle by 1948, and from at least 1948 until 1951, the couple lived at 5327 South Henderson Street, Apartment #231, in Seattle's Dunlap neighborhood.

According to the Seattle City Directory, 1954, he and his wife had moved to the nearby Rainier Valley neighborhood at 5541 South Holly Street. They continued to live here into the 1960s, and Koehler developed a successful practice in the Rainier Valley. Koehler also dabbled in politics, running for the King County Council District #8 seat as a Republican in 1969. (See "School Levy Passes," West Seattle Herald, vol. XLVI, no. 7, 02/13/1969, p. 1.)

In the 1970s, Koehler moved to Poulsbo, WA, where he passed away. He was buried in the Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, WA.

Parents

His father, Charles J. Koehler (born c. 1894 in IL), worked as a construction superintendent in 1930. His mother, Edith (born c. 1899 in IA), managed the household. Both of Charles's parents immigrated to the US from the Holstein region of Germany.

Spouse

He married Margaret E. Koehler before 1944.

Children

When interviewed during his King County Council election race in 1969, Koehler indicated that he and his wife had had three children: Stephen (born c. 1945), a graduate of the US Merchant Marine Academy and a deck officer on the American Mail Line, a steamship company that provided Trans-Pacific shipping services between Seattle and Asia, Randall (born c. 1949 in WA), who attended Washington State University, and Carol (born c. 1956 in WA) who was a student at Sharples Junior High School.

Biographical Notes

In 1942, at the age of 22, Koehler stood 71 inches (5-feet, 11-inches) tall and weighed 175 pounds. SSN: 480-07-9743

• Columbus, OH (Architect's Birth)
  Columbus, OH

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