Onward "Birk" Lester Birkhimer Jr.

Onward L Birkhimer Jr. (“Birk”) died suddenly on July 1, 2015 at 2:39 pm, less than one week after celebrating his 84th birthday. He was surrounded by his loving family and dearest friends, who gathered with him at Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur D’ Alene Idaho. Birk was born in Leeco, Kentucky in 1931 and eventually moved to Middletown, Ohio. After graduating high school he briefly worked at Armco Steel Mill and then joined the Air Force. He served in the Korean War and retired from a 25 year career in 1975. He fell in love with North Idaho on a ski trip and moved to Sandpoint from Germany with Ann in 1976. He was an avid hunter, fisherman and skier. He was well known on the ski hill for his beautiful fluid European style of alpine skiing and skied until he was 82 years old. He then shifted his passion from skiing into working out at the gym and proudly maintained his physical condition until his death. He met his wife Ann Hungerford Brooke, while she was serving in the RAF, in Norwich, England in 1952. They married in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1954. They loved Germany and enjoyed 3 tours of duty there during Birk’s Air Force years. As a hunter, he developed lifelong friendships within the German hunting community, a very rare occurrence for a foreigner in Germany. His connections afforded him the opportunity to hunt in Germany and the Czech Republic during Tito’s Dictatorship. Birk saw the world through his military service, including Africa, Okinawa, Japan, Thailand, Turkey, Great Britain, and many, many other interesting places, often with wife and children in tow. He started working for Satcom Systems, Inc. in 1986 and eventually became well known as owner and Senior Partner after buying it outright in 1990. He installed the vast majority of C Band Satellite TV systems in the Panhandle of Idaho during the 1990s, as well as many LDS Church systems during those years and the early 2000s. In his mid 60’s his role at Satcom afforded him the opportunity to travel to Beijing, Damascus, and Russia. He was a larger than life man and enjoyed a full and rich life! Birk is survived by his wife of 61 years, Ann Birkhimer and their four children and spouses; Michael Birkhimer, Kim Birkhimer (John), Amanda Berard (Brien), Karen Millard (Galen). He had 7 grandchildren; Kim, Eric, Lauren, Jason, Wesley, Alexandra, and Danielle, and 6 great grandchildren; Jordan, Payton, Piper, Ruger, Jackson and Isaac. Birk is also survived by his brother, Edwin Birkhimer (Norma) and is pre-deceased by his sister Phyllis Ripley and brother Gerald Birkhimer. A pot-luck Celebration of his life will be held on August 15, 2015 at 4:00pm at the end of Campbell Point Road (known as “The Point”) in LaClede.