Obituary: Karl Vercouteren, The Dalles

Karl Vercouteren was born and grew up in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where he worked summers at Boy Scout camps and attained the rank of Eagle Scout.

He attended Lakeland College (now Lakeland University) in Wisconsin, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, did a student internship in Rhode Island, served Grace United Church of Christ in Covington, Kentucky for 12 years, and mwas pastor of United Church of Christ, Congregational, of The Dalles, Oregon, from 1977 until his retirement in September 2008.

Karl was active in the Cascade Singers since the second year of the community choir’s existence. The choir’s European tours were musical highlights and afforded opportunities to reunite with family members and friends in Germany, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands. He especially enjoyed locating and arranging music for the group’s annual “St. Pat’s at St. Pete’s” concerts. He participated in church choirs and helped organize the Men’s Chorus at Zion Lutheran Church.

Karl joined the Board of the Original Wasco County Courthouse shortly after moving to The Dalles. He was a past president and organized the annual Regional History Forum. He joined The Dalles Kiwanis Club in 1977 and was a past president of the club. He worked on many Kiwanis service projects and led the organizing committee for Christmas and Cherry Festival parades since the early 1990s, and Fourth of July and Veterans Day parades in more recent years. He was part of the group that sponsors the biennial Organ Crawl featuring The Dalles’ five pipe organs.

In the past he served on the Wasco County Commission on Children and Families, the statewide board of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, and regional and national boards of his church. He has also been active in Mid-Columbia Fellowship of Churches, Habitat for Humanity, and Wasco County Citizens for Human Dignity.

For a number of years Karl was part of church-sponsored teams that went to Biloxi, Mississippi, to work on housing—a critical need long after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast.

Karl’s interest in local and regional history resulted in several projects during his post-retirement years: concert selections and narratives for several “Historic The Dalles Days” programs; a concert and PowerPoint presentation that eventually resulted in publication of his 2017 book, “Now Playing at the Vogt: The Dalles’ Forgotten Opera House”; the writing of Mid-Columbia area entries for the 2020 interactive map, “The National Vote for Women Trail”; writing of blogs about buildings on The Dalles Art Center’s “All Together The Dalles” photo-montage print and mural, published in book form in 2022; and he published an additional book on the architecture and history of local buildings, “All Together The Dalles Too,” in 2023. Karl also served as one of the historians who researched and wrote proposals for the murals that were produced when the Walldogs came to town in August 2022, and he continued the project as a member of the mural committee.

Karl was preceded in death by his parents, Govert and Esther (Ochs) Vercouteren, and Aunt Elsie Fasse. Karl is survived by his wife Jean (Anderson) Vercouteren. Karl and Jean were together for 61 years! Other survivors include brothers Peter and Robert Vercouteren, daughter Kristine (Vercouteren) Dombroski and husband John Dombroski, son Jacob Vercouteren, grandson Jodecy Vercouteren, AFS exchange student son, David Timmers from Belgium, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, consider a donation in Karl’s memory to the Cascade Singers, the Wasco County Original Courthouse, The Dalles Kiwanis Club, The Dalles UCCC Church, Zion Lutheran ELCA, The Dalles, or a charity of your choice.

A service for Karl Vercouteren will be held Saturday, June 7th at 1:30pm at Zion Lutheran ELCA at 101 W. 10th St - the corner of 10th and Union streets, in The Dalles, OR 97958.

A reception will follow in the church basement. In lieu of flowers consider making a donation to Cascade Singers, Original Wasco County Courthouse, The Dalles First Congregational UCC, Zion Lutheran ELCA or charity of your choice.