Steven D. Wirtz

Steven Dean Wirtz, 54, of Longview passed away peacefully at the Hospice Care Center Jan. 22, 2010, following a battle with cancer. Steve was a math teacher at R.A. Long High School and a devoted father and grandfather.

Steve spent most of his adult life loving being a dad to his five children who survive him, Robert Wirtz, Kari Gallagher (Jason), Dane Wirtz (Sarah), Erika LiaBraaten (Brent), and Jameson Wirtz, all from the local area. He loved playing with his six grandchildren. He is survived by Kathleen Wirtz, his spouse of 31 years.

Steve was born in Longview July 18, 1955, to Richard and Elaine Wirtz who survive him in Longview. He is also survived by siblings, Randy Wirtz and Todd Wirtz, both of Olympia, Alan Wirtz of Seattle and Polly Hill (Jim) of Battleground.

Steve graduated from Mark Morris High School in 1973 and attended colleges in Seattle and Bellingham. He returned to Longview where he married Kathleen Dec. 13, 1975. After three years as a pulp tester at Longview Fibre Co., he began the journeyman process to become a union carpenter through Local 1707 in 1978. As a father of five young children, he returned to college to become a math teacher. He graduated from Portland State University with a BS in math in 1986 followed by a masters in teaching. He spent six years teaching at Tenino High School before starting his teaching career in Longview in 1997.

Steve was the youngest of five kids who were all avid swimmers and he passed his mother's love of swimming onto his own five kids. Steve coached swimming for several community teams. He also coached many of his children's soccer and basketball teams. He loved the out-of-doors which took him Boy Scouting, hiking, sail boating, camping, fishing, golfing, and to the local parks with grandchildren. Steve was an avid organic gardener and backyard farmer. Steve enjoyed playing games and was especially fond of pinochle and Scrabble. He was the "fix-it" man for family and friends. Steve loved and laughed, his smile was infectious. Christ was an important part of Steve's life and he attended several local churches throughout his life.

A celebration of Steve's life will be held at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Father's House, 1315 Commerce Ave., in Longview with a potluck to follow. Columbia Funeral Service is handling arrangements.

Memorial donations may be made to the Community Home Health & Hospice, P.O. Box 2067, Longview, WA 98632.

Uncle Steve

My family has been blessed by my Uncle Steve Wirtz and the love he has given all of us. This past Friday he passed away after a battle with cancer. We are all very sad to say goodbye, we are comforted in knowing he is no longer suffering. I have more memories than I could ever count and am truly blessed to have had such a great man in my life for so long. Thoughts and prayers for my five cousins are very appreciated. Unexpectedly, Doug and I will be able to travel back to the NW and be with family for the service and for a long weekend. Much love, Elizabeth.

Happy Birthday and Congratulations to Doug!!

This past weekend was a very big one for Doug! He turned 25 and we celebrated his birthday throughout the entire weekend - many lovely cards in the mail, dinner out, special dinner at home, Boston Cream Pie, games with friends, and trip to Providence for Avatar at Imax 3D. In addition to a fun-filled birthday weekend Doug also completed SOBC (Submarine Officer Basic Course) and had his graduation ceremony Friday morning. I was so proud to be there with Doug as he finished his final school before heading out to his boat. It really made me think about his OCS graduation in February of 2008. So much has happened since then and Doug has learned a lot. I am very proud to be married to such a talented person with so many skills. We are both anxious and excited for what the next few months will bring.

Busy, busy!

This past weekend seemed to fly by in a whirlwind. Doug and I spent a lot of time organizing the house and getting everything put away from our big trip to the west coast. We did some shopping as well and picked up a few odds and ends to help the house feel a little "cozier." We are really happy with how the house looks and are now focused on getting ready for the arrival of our puppy in February. We are so excited that we will be seeing Kent & Kathryn at the beginning of March followed by Levi for his spring break at the end of March. It is exciting to know we will have guests coming to visit us in Mystic.

Beatrice Four Weeks Old

Pictures of our beautiful soon-to-be baby girl Beatrice at four-weeks-old. At this point she is just over 5 lbs!

Better Late Than Never

I have FINALLY gotten around to posting some of the pictures from our travels this past October. These are just a few of the highlights.

Pictures from Niagara Falls, Canada - October 2009

View of the Falls

View from our hotel room

Pictures from Washington D.C. - October 2009

Elizabeth by Julia Child's Kitchen

Doug and Elizabeth resting in a quiet garden outside the Smithsonian

Doug in front of the U.S. Capitol

Final Comprehensive Exam

Wednesday Doug took his final comprehensive exam and is happy to report he passed and has officially based SOBC. Having that done means that things are downhill over the next few weeks until graduation on the twenty-second. Congratulations, Doug!

Home Safely

Doug and I arrived back in Mystic very early Sunday morning. We were so thankful to arrive home without any major issues. Although we were sad to leave family and friends on the west coast it was nice to sleep in our cozy bed and get a good night's sleep. Sunday was relatively uneventful - we headed to both Costco and Ikea for a few things (including a dog bed!!) and groceries. Sunday evening we spent some time unpacking and cleaning up the house. Today we both headed back to work and it was a little difficult to get up so early after 2 weeks away. We are looking forward to "puppy day" as we like to call it, as well as visits from family and friends in the next few months.

Visit to Oregon/Washington

It has been so nice to see my family and close friends up in Oregon/Washington. After being away for so long this was a much needed visit that I am sad to see coming to an end. Doug and I really enjoyed getting to see my family and have lots of time together around the holidays. Christmas was wonderful and we had a very nice New Years as well. Tomorrow is our flight home and after that I will be sure to add more details of our visit (including updates on the last part of our trip in CA). Happy New Year!