Haines, Oregon
William Roger Loennig, 92, a Haines native and third-generation Muddy Creek rancher, died July 26, 2001, at Settlers Park in Baker City.
His graveside funeral will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Sally Wiens of Haines Methodist Church will officiate. Following the services there will be a reception at the Loennig family home at Muddy Creek.
Mr. Loennig was born March 8, 1909, to Benjamin Frank Loennig and Emma Elizabeth Lang at their home at Muddy Creek.
After graduation from Muddy Creek High School in 1927, he went to Los Angeles, where he earned his pilot’s license. He then returned to run the family ranch.
He married Alice Helen Williams on Dec. 21, 1935, in the Baker Hotel. Following their marriage, they moved into a new home on the ranch, where he lived until his death.
Mr. Loennig was active in local school boards from 1942-67. He served as State Representative in 1951-52 and State Senator from 1953-55. He was a member of the State Board of Aeronautics from 1955-70 and the State Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee from 1970-80.
As an active licensed pilots until the 1990s, Mr. Loennig established the Muddy Creek Airport in 1945 after purchasing a Piper Cub, the first of several planes he owned through the years. He was a captain in the Oregon National Guard Reserve during the Korean War and served on the Sheriff’s Possee in the Oregon Air Search and Rescue. He was a founding member and active in the Flying Farmers. In 1949 he soloed to Havana, Cuba, with a group of other Oregon private pilots.
Mr. Loennig was a Mason in good standing since 1949, and had advanced to Master of the North Powder Lodge. He was also a 50-year Scottish Rite member, and a Shriner.
The Loennigs enriched their retirement by wintering in Yuma, Ariz. They also enjoyed traveling, and pulled a trailer across the United States and into Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. They also toured parts of Europe, South Korea, Alaska and Hawaii.
Mr. Loennig is survived by his wife of 66 years, Alice H. Loennig of Haines; children and their spouses, Alice Anne and Norris Faringer of Yakima, Wash., Bill and Beverly Loennig of Haines, and Sally and James Gantor of Hoodsport, Wash., grandchildren and their spouses, Felicia Faringer-Babin and Chris Babin, and Scott and Helen Faringer, all of Yakima; a great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Faringer, and step-great-grandsons, Nick and Alex Gosseen, all of Yakima.
Mr. Loennig was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Frank, Henry and Carl Loennig; and his sisters, Erma Poulson and Beatrice Lawhorn.
Contributions in Mr. Loennig’s memory may be made to the Haines Methodist Church Building Fund in care of Gray’s West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, Ore., 97814.
Used with permission from: The Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, August 8, 2001
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor