Kenneth Ernest Frasl

Kenneth (Ken) Ernest Frasl passed away surrounded by his girls on May 30, 2023 at the age of 67 in Olympia, WA. Ken was born in Richland, WA on June 22, 1955 to Kenneth and Ethel (Palmer) Frasl and has one younger brother, Paul. Ken’s parents both served in the U.S. Army which took them to Chicago, Hawaii and Italy before eventually settling in Tillicum, WA where he grew up and made several lifelong friends. Ken met Terry Kahler in April 1982 and they were married on May 7, 1988 in Puyallup, WA. Ken and Terry lived in Parkland, WA until their two daughters Katy and Shelby were born at which time they moved to their forever home in Maytown, WA in 1994.

Just out of high school Ken started working for the Atlas Foundry in Tacoma as a Journeyman Molder/Core Maker, eventually becoming Lead and an instructor for their apprenticeship program. He later joined the U.S. Geological Survey as a trainee while earning his Associates Degree in Applied Science specializing in Water Technology from Green River Community College in 1992. He worked in the USGS Tacoma Field Office for 28 years as a Hydrologic Technician spending much of his time on local rivers and later became the Western Washington Field Office Chief before retiring in March 2019.

Ken began volunteering in 1996 as a firefighter/EMT with Littlerock Fire Rescue which later became West Thurston Regional Fire Authority. He quickly discovered this was his true calling and dedicated most of his free time to this passion. This became quite a family affair with Terry and the girls following closely behind him in all he did with the fire service. He rose through the ranks and became Deputy Chief for the department and served in that role until his passing. While volunteering over the years he was honored to receive dozens of awards including WA State Firefighter of the Year (2003), WA State Officer of the Year (2014), Geico National Public Service Award in Washington DC (2004), as well as many department accolades. He also spent over 20 years instructing new fire recruits at the Thurston County Fire Recruit Academy where he was able to pass on his wealth of knowledge to the next generation. He was always searching for new members to recruit and his fire brothers and sisters became a second family to him and the girls.

Ken was a lifelong learner, who always strived to gain new knowledge. He was a perfectionist and put his whole heart into everything he did. He was a natural leader and had a passion for teaching others all that he had learned. Family was the most important thing in life for Ken. While he would frequently tell people he was outnumbered, his girls were his entire world and they did most things in life together. Ken was thrilled to finally gain a son when Shelby met her husband James in 2015. In his younger days Ken enjoyed riding dirt bikes in poker runs, shooting black powder rifles, and taking trips on the Harley he and Terry shared. He always enjoyed outdoor adventures, fishing, camping, traveling, cheering on Seattle sports teams, riding his tractor around their beautiful property and relaxing with family and friends. He and Terry frequently visited Maui and were working on seeing all of the National Parks in their retirement. He had a love for classic rock music and old war movies. Ken had a way of making everyone feel special, he was loved by anyone that met him and had one of those contagious spirits that words cannot describe.

Ken was preceded in death by both of his parents and his father in law Harry Kahler. He is survived by his wife Terry, daughters Katy Frasl and Shelby (James) Hare, mother in law Lee Kahler, brother Paul Frasl as well as several brothers and sisters in law, nieces, nephews, family and friends. There will be a Celebration of Life on June 18, 2023 11am-2pm at the Littlerock Posse Hall 5949 Maytown Rd SW Olympia, WA 98512, all are welcome. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to the charity of your choice.