John (Jack) Albert Kutz
March 29, 1922 – November 9, 2012
John (“Jack”) Albert Kutz, Jr., 90, passed away November 9, 2012 at the Leon Sullivan Health Care Center, Seattle. Born in Seattle, March 29, 1922, Jack was an iconic figure in the Pacific Northwest maritime industry as a designer-engineer, and historic vessel preservation expert.
Jack’s passion for all things nautical influenced his entire life and career. A longtime Bainbridge Islander, he spent much of his childhood messing with boats in Port Madison with his friends Bill Garden and John Adams. As the story goes, his first boat was a humble dugout canoe, but he quickly advanced to more seaworthy craft. As a teen he could be found with like-minded boat addicts taking reckless San Juan Island trips on his converted Bristol Bay gillnetter “Roaring Bessie.” Later, he discovered a sturdy Nordic style fishboat with good lines, which became the beloved family sloop “Ocean.” Over the years she was to provide Jack and his family some of their happiest memories.
Jack’s career in the boating industry began prior to WWII at the Winslow Shipyard working under the legendary Charlie Taylor, with whom he built a lifetime friendship. His war years were spent in the South Pacific in the U.S. Navy Motor Torpedo Boat Service. After the war, he studied at the University of Washington while working as a boat builder and shipwright. He went on to work in the industry as a marine designer and engineer at Todd Shipyard, and the naval architectural firms Nickum & Spaulding, Glosten Associates, Inc., and Columbia-Sentinel Engineers, Inc., all based in Seattle. In addition, Jack was a self-employed designer of fishing and passenger boats, as well as provider of vessel surveying and consulting services.
One of the most rewarding periods in Jack’s career was as project supervisor for the restoration and preservation of the sternwheeler Nenana, an historic riverboat located in Fairbanks, Alaska. This project spanned two decades and instilled in him a deep affection for the Alaskan people and landscape.
Jack is a lifetime member of the Port Madison Yacht Club, and was a member of several historical societies dedicated to preserving wooden vessels. He was known as a gifted storyteller with fascinating accounts of the early days in marine history and was sought after for advice and expertise. Jack also was able to identify at a distance virtually any boat seen cruising in Puget Sound, by type if not by name and owner. A skilled woodworker and artist, Jack often could be found rebuilding Ocean, remodeling the family home (uniquely outfitted with WWII Liberty Ship furniture), or gluing up half models. Later in his life he acquired and restored a 1930s vintage International 14 sailing skiff which was donated to the Center for Wooden Boats collection.
In 1949 Jack married Ruth Elaine MacLeod, an artist and photographer from West Vancouver, BC. When their Seattle houseboat grew too small with the arrival of their first son, they settled on Bainbridge Island to raise their family and live their boating dream. After Ruth’s passing in 1988, he eventually married JoAnne McDonald, from whom he was later divorced.
Jack is preceded in death by his wife Ruth and brother Ronald. He is survived by his three children, John Kutz (Caprice), Robin Kutz (Vicki), and Jan Kutz Lackie (Brian), in addition to brothers Alan, Robert, and sister Shirley Clementz, plus five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Friends and family are invited to a celebration of his life on Saturday, December 1, at Island Center Community Hall, from 2:00 – 5:00 pm.
Donations can be made to the Center for Wooden Boats, Seattle, at www.cwb.org. (Please mention that donation is in memory of Jack Kutz.)
Please sign the online Guest Book for the family at: www.cookfamilyfuneralhome.com.
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