Henry (Hank) P. Zurfluh passed away Oct. 19.

Hank was born Sept. 23, 1932, “on the mountain” at the family home to the Swiss immigrant couple, Anton and Margaret Zurfluh. He was second-oldest of five children.

Hank followed his older brother, Carl, to a one-room school house on Roger’s Mountain. They walked three miles through timber, carrying a lantern in the winter months, and up over the mountain every day to get there. He then went to Scio High School for two years before dropping out and going to work at the Stayton Cannery, and then the Lulay Saw Mill until it closed. He worked for many years at North Santiam Sand and Gravel, North Santiam Paving, and at the Stuckart’s Saw Mill. Hank was known to be one of the hardest workers. Though he wasn’t a large man, he was mighty.

Hank would joke that he had to join the Army to wait for Evelyn to grow up (she was 14; he was 20), but he was actually drafted. Hank came home and married his sweetheart, Evelyn Johnston, in 1956. They were blessed with six children, Linda (who passed away at 3 days of age), Anton, Lawrence, Daniel, Thomas (who died in a car wreck in 1984), and Angela. He was also blessed with eight grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Hank, along with his family and friends, spent many weekends camping, jeeping, hunting, and boating. They were always out doing something adventurous and fun. Packing the jeep with two adults, five kids, a cooler, and a dog was just the beginning of a really good day.

Other than his years in the Army, where he was deployed to Korea for the Korean War, Hank had never lived anywhere but where he was born, on the mountain on Zurfluh Road. In 1986, Hank and Evelyn joined in a family adventure and purchased a ranch in Crane. Hank was more than 50 years old when they packed up their lives and moved across the state to start what we refer to as “life, part 2”. Hank spent the next 30 years working hard to grow their dream into a successful working ranch. Hank became an accomplished horseman. He rode hard and fast, keeping up with much younger men. He truly had no fear, of anything, ever.

In 2012, Hank was diagnosed with cancer. He went through surgery and spent the winter going through chemo. He was then told that he had one year to live if he didn’t do further treatments. Hank said that he did the first treatments for his family and was choosing to just live his life. Hank and Evelyn then “retired” from full-time ranching. From 2013 until recently, Hank and Evelyn enjoyed life together. They traveled to Ireland and Scotland, continued their yearly trips to Mexico, took a six-week road trip through Alaska, and took a cruise through the Panama Canal. Those who gave him “one year to live” didn’t know the man that we all knew.

Hank was a lifetime member of the Catholic Order of Foresters. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus for more than 60 years. He was an active member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Scio (Jordan). He was instrumental in the building of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Mission in Crane. He was kind, funny, hardworking, and dependable. He raised his children with firm rules and a kind heart.

Hank is survived by his wife, Evelyn; sons, Anton of Eagle, Idaho, Lawrence of Kalispell, Mont., and Daniel of Crane; daughter, Angela Campbell (Todd) of Nampa, Idaho; brother, Joseph of Scio; sisters, Dorothy Brown (Lewis) and Rose Mary Voltin (Richard) of Lyons; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Hank was preceded in death by his parents, Margaret and Anton; brother, Carl; daughter, Linda; son, Thomas; and niece, Susan.

Recitation of the rosary is planned for 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct 25.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, at St. Thomas Aquinas in Crane.

Burial will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery in Scio.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Mission or The Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon (SSMO) in care of Lafollette’s Chapel in Burns.