Edwin Leonard Kohtala

Edwin L. Kohtala Camarillo, California Edwin L. Kohtala, 90, passed away on Thursday, July 14, 2011. He was born on July 30, 1920 in Kettle River, Minnesota to Jacob Kohtala and Ida M. Salmi. Ed graduated from Barnum High School in 1938. He married Hazel Hattie Radke on June 8, 1942 at St. Peters Church in Beverly Hills, California. He met Hazel when he moved to Santa Monica and eventually they moved to Encino where they raised their two sons. After living in Anaheim and Carpenteria, Ed and Hazel settled in Camarillo. He was employed at Boeing-McDonnell Douglas as an Engineering Tool Designer for forty-nine years. In his spare time, Ed enjoyed bicycling and was an avid reader of non-fiction, particularly books on the” civil-war.” As a former member of the Conservation Corps, Ed became connected to his environment by engaging in conservation and involvement in his community. He has travelled to such places as Australia, Finland, Sweden and Hawaii in addition to spending many summers touring the USA by car with his family. Ed was a huge Dodger fan, enjoyed fishing and loved to listen to his favorite country music. His family wrote: “Ed was as easy-going as it gets. He took life as it came. He had such a gentle soul and a kind heart. We’re going to miss him very much.” He is survived by his wife, Hazel; son and daughter-in-law, Craig and Nina of Agoura Hills; son and daughter-in-law, Jack and Vicky of Perth, Australia; grandchildren, Christopher and Taylor; and Sam and Sunny of Melbourne, Australia; as well as sisters, Helen Starr of Gilbert, Az, Lynn Hayes of Sturgeon Lake, Mn. and Mae Duffield of Phoenix Az. Ed was preceded in death by his infant son, Dennis Lee; his sister, Elaine; his brother Ray; and his Uncle Bill.