Ernest Recker
July 9, 1944 - January 26, 2024
Obituary
Ernest Recker was born July 9, 1944, in Paterson, New Jersey, to German immigrants Heinz and Emilie Recker, joining his older brother Roland. When Ernie was a young child, the family drove in an old Auburn sedan across the country to South Pasadena, California. They lived near the mainline of the Santa Fe Railroad, and thus began Ernie’s lifelong fascination with trains.
In the early 1950s, the family settled in Seattle when Heinz accepted a job at Boeing. Ernie grew up with a love of the outdoors; his family camped and hiked at every opportunity which included Ernie summiting Mt. Rainier with his father. Ernie graduated from Glacier High School in 1962 and earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Washington.
From 1969 to 1975, Ernie served in the Washington Air National Guard, attached to the 116th Weather Flight at Geiger Field in Spokane. He commuted there once a month for drill weekends, and his various duty assignments gave him the opportunity to visit many other states. From 1970 until retirement in 2005, Ernie worked as a research meteorologist in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington.
In 1971 Ernie married Peggie MacKinnon in this church. They had met in 1968 in a group of young adults from several area churches. The group cleverly named itself The Young Adults and still is in existence. The remaining “charter members”, including Ernie and Peggie, recently gathered for a Young Adults Christmas brunch.
Jonathan was born to Ernie and Peggie in 1977, followed by Matthew in 1980. Ernie was involved with them in Boy Scouts, hiking and camping, and multiple sports. He also served as a wise resource and editor for their academic endeavors.
Ernie’s grandchildren, Lauren and Nathan Recker, lived nearby and were his constant delight. They shared inside jokes and built new traditions, enjoying Charlie Brown, old comic books, and a collection of stuffed rabbits. In recent years, he enjoyed their music and dance performances.
Ernie enjoyed skiing, bicycling, photography, swimming, hiking, visiting National Parks, and planning road trips. In retirement, international travel was more frequent, but Ernie still liked the “roads less traveled” in the United States and never wanted to cover too many miles in a day. He loved to read and especially enjoyed history, science, theology, weather, anything having to do with trains, Charles Dickens, and C. S. Lewis. He also was a good sport who supported whatever project Peggie was up to.
Ernie was a man of faith whose life centered on serving the Lord. He served as a deacon, an elder, and a long-term member of many church committees including Missions, Family Life, and Worship. He taught adult Sunday School with a special fondness for teaching church history.
He loved music and sang in the choir from 1980 onward, also singing occasionally in a men’s gospel group. For about 40 years, Ernie taught a weekly Bible study in his home, the participants becoming his dear friends. He also enjoyed long friendships with his church family and his special classmates in the Glacier classes of ’62 and ’66. Ernie lived his life with eternity in view and now has realized that hope. He finished well.
Service will be Friday, February 23 at 1 p.m. at Boulevard Park Church, 1822 South 128th St. in Burien, WA.
There also is a link to livestream the service
