Heinrich Furtner

Heinrich Johann Furtner, better known as Henry Furtner passed away on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 at the age of 84. After a week of Covid-19 related pneumonia, Henry died peacefully in the hands of the Lord. Henry was born in Munich, Germany on December 3, 1936 to Johann and Erika Furtner. Henry is survived by his wife Victoria; daughters: Sandra Burgman (husband John) and Diana Rukat. grandchildren: Derek Burgman, Brandon Burgman, and Celestial Jade Rukat. stepson: Troy Kokenge (wife Kari and children Jaden and Brooks) and precious dog: Ruby. As a young man, Henry immigrated to the United States from Germany in the late 1950’s. He served in the United States Air Force for 4 years. He lived in San Antonio, Texas for over 30 years where he worked in the banking business. He served on the financial organizing board to the HemisFair ‘68, the official 1968 World’s Fair held in San Antonio, Texas. After working at the Bank of San Antonio as a senior VP for many years, he eventually left to serve as President of Executive National Bank. While living in Texas, he enjoyed deer hunting, fishing and spending the hot Summer weekends at the lake on his boat. In 1987, Henry moved to Seattle, Washington to continue his beloved outdoor activities. He then moved and settled in Yakima, Washington where he retired. Henry and Vicki were married on May 23, 1998. For nearly 23 years, they enjoyed working on their farm and attending to their horses. For the last 15 years, Henry volunteered for the Yakima County Sheriff’s department which he took very seriously and was probably his favorite job of all. He was the coordinator for the Citizens Patrol and served on the Board of the Yakima Crime Stoppers. Always enjoying the outdoors, he loved to patrol the Yakima State Parks where he could view the mountains. Henry was very proud to receive a Certificate of Excellence for 2018 Block Watch Volunteer of the Year. Henry had a big heart, he dedicated his life to helping others. He was always available to help when needed. He had a strong personality which made it easy for him to accomplish many goals. He had the kind of integrity that meant he kept his word and honored his fellow man. He could be stoic but his wonderful sense of humor always made him completely relatable to those of us that loved him. He loved to have friends and family over to BBQ and relax in his backyard with a cold beer. Henry J. Furtner will be dearly missed by all who knew him. The family will have a private memorial at a later date. All the thoughts and prayers for Henry Furtner are greatly appreciated by the entire family. May he Rest In Peace. Because of his love for animals, contributions may be made to any animal shelter or animal rescue of choice. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Heinrich Furtner, please visit our flower store.