John Stuart Ahl
October 6, 1939 – November 1, 2015
John Stuart Ahl, USN, CEC, RET, 76, of Poulsbo, WA, passed away on Saturday, November 1 after a brief illness. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 6, 1939, to Benjamin and Alice Ahl. He earned a degree in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley and a Masters degree in Construction Management from Stanford University.
John joined the Naval Civil Engineer Corps in 1964, served in Vietnam, and married Catherine Church in 1967. They began married life at the Naval Communication Station in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, and over John’s 30-year Naval career lived in several states as well as in Bangkok, Thailand; Vientiane, Laos; and Subic Bay in the Republic of the Philippines. John’s last three tours of duty were as Commanding Officer of the Public Works Center in Subic Bay, the CEC Officers School in Port Hueneme, CA, and the Public Works Center in Washington, DC. He was awarded the Legion of Merit three times.
After retiring from the Navy in 1994, John designed their dream house built overlooking the Hood Canal and Olympic Mountains. He enjoyed involvement in local activities and helped build houses for Habitat for Humanity, served on the Kitsap County Planning Commission for 10 years, and became an advocate for the geoduck and the environment.
A lifelong Renaissance man and skilled bluegrass harmonica player, John had recently taken up the Appalachian mountain dulcimer and twice attended the Wallowa Valley Music Alliance summer “Dulcimer Week” in Oregon. He was well read in nautical and whaling history, and he built numerous amazing model ships. In recent years, he traveled to New England to explore nautical history sites from Connecticut to Maine. He also raced a J-24 sailboat, the “Gandalf,” in the waters around Poulsbo. He could perfectly grill a steak, mix a classic martini, and even wrestle a geoduck up from the mud and make it just barely palatable if the spirit moved him. He enjoyed a good laugh, a good Hood Canal sunset, and a good book.
John is survived by his wife, Catherine, of Poulsbo, his son, Andrew, of Seattle, his daughter, Elizabeth, of Holderness, NH and his sister, Judy Dennis, of Coronado, CA.
A Celebration of John’s life will be held on January 13, 2016 at 11:00 am at the Stone Chapel, Poulsbo, WA. The family encourages donations in his memory be made to North Kitsap Fishline, PO Box 1517, Poulsbo, WA 98370.
