Eric Gustave Koellner

Eric Gustave Koellner, 81, of Portland, Oregon, passed away at home on August 9, 2025 after a hard fought battle with cancer.

Eric was born on November 27, 1943 to Gustave and Dorothy (née Chandler) Koellner in Grants Pass, Oregon. Eric was the youngest of three children, with an older brother and sister. After Eric graduated from Willamette High School in 1962, he went on to attend Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis, OR.

At the end of the fall term in his sophomore year at Oregon State University, Eric received his US Army draft notice. He was registered in the Navy Cadet Program at OSU, but this was not enough for a waiver. Instead of going into the Army, Eric researched his options with all of the military branches and joined the US Coast Guard. He flew out the day after signing. Upon completion of Boot Camp, Eric attended the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) school at North Island Naval Base in San Diego, CA where he learned how to repair and maintain shipboard SONAR equipment. After completion, he was stationed at a Coast Guard base in Norfolk, Virginia. Eric was Honorably Discharged from the US Coast Guard on January 26, 1968. Eric was a member of the United States Coast Guard Reserves from 1969 to 1987, and a member of the United States Army Reserves from 1987 until his retirement in 1993.

Eric always had a strong work ethic and was never afraid of hard work. In his life, he held jobs as a Church Youth Director, an Electrician, a Construction Foreman, a Set-Up Lead at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon, and as a Hazardous Waste Technician for Metro Regional Government. While working for Metro, Eric helped to start the Metro Paint Recycling Program.

While Eric was working for Metro, he completed his Associate Degree in Environmental Health and Safety at Mt Hood Community College.

While working at the Memorial Coliseum, Eric joined a gym and spent several days a week working out. While there, he met his wife, Sharon. Eric and Sharon became friends and eventually started dating. They were married on February 29, 2000, blending two families into one. Eric had two adult children from an earlier marriage, and Sharon also had two adult children.

In 2006, Eric retired and spent his spare time fishing, his favorite way to spend his time. He was a member of the Sandy River Chapter of the Association of Northwest Steelheaders, and he took annual trips to Canada to fish for salmon and halibut. Eric and his wife, Sharon, also enjoyed traveling the world. They took trips to Mexico, Croatia, Iceland, New Zealand, Greece, and Japan. Eric often helped Sharon with their garden, growing flowers, vegetables, and fruit.

Everyone who knew Eric knew how much he loved fishing. Eric identified fishing as his “first passion”. He has recalled a first fishing trip with his parents at the age of three, to the Upper Rogue River in Southern Oregon. He could never forget the lure of the sound and smell of the water rushing by. From that moment, he was hooked. Eric took his children camping and fishing in the High Uinta Wilderness area. While he lived in Utah, he would fish in rivers and lakes year round. He brought his fishing pole with him anytime he was traveling in those years, and his reputation was that if he saw a puddle, he would stop to fish it. When Eric moved back to Oregon, he brought his love for fishing with him. He was regularly found on the Sandy River, fishing for salmon. And he took those annual trips to Canada for 25 years, to the Qualicum River Lodge in Winter Harbor, British Columbia. There, he would fish on the open ocean for Halibut and Lingcod, Coho salmon and Chinook salmon, and when the seas were too rough, they would fish in the bays for Rockfish.

Eric was known for his generosity. If he saw a friend, family member, or neighbor in need, he would do all he could to help them. Eric was well-regarded by those he worked with over the years, and many reached out to him in his last weeks, to share stories of their time together.

Eric was grateful for all he had in life, his wife, his family, his friends, and his experiences. When asked for his thoughts about the Meaning of Life, Eric felt the best way to sum it up was to quote two lines from a song by the group, “Rare Earth.”

“I just want to celebrate another day of living. I just want to celebrate another day of life.”

Eric was predeceased by his parents, Gustave and Dorothy (née Chandler) Koellner; his siblings, Carl Koellner and Sherryl (née Koellner) Leach; and his lifelong friend, Jim Dougan. He is survived by his wife, Sharon Harrington-Koellner; his children, Eric Koellner (Veronica) and Bonny (née Koellner) Aguilar; his children by marriage, Troy Harrington and Tara (née Harrington) Martin (Shannon); his grandchildren, Chantelle, Erika, Eric, Jessica, Leonard, Natalia, Ian, and Connor; and six great-grandchildren.

Eric has requested that no formal services are held.