Karl Philip Bohan

Karl Bohan was born March 6, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to John and Margaret (Muffy) Bohan, the third of four children, (John, Paul, Karl and Ruth). He had an idyllic childhood swimming in Minnesota lakes, riding his banana seat bike, and playing hockey with his siblings in the rink they made by flooding their backyard. In high school he played basketball and ran track, but also worked at a grocery store and other part-time jobs. Right after high school he found a summer job in Glacier National Park, which set his sights on leaving the city life for the mountains. He started college at the University of Minnesota at Duluth, where his eyelashes would freeze together in the winter. He transferred to the University of Idaho and made lifelong friendships there while pursuing his BS in Wildlife Management, graduating in 1980. He worked at Grays Lake Wildlife Refuge for a year, while courting his soon-to-be wife, Cathy Rae Christensen long distance. They were married January 2, 1982 and he began a career in restaurant management to be able to better support a family, moving to Spokane, WA. Shortly thereafter Karl and Cathy welcomed the birth of their son Cody on September 21, 1986. Later they moved to Tulare, California, where Karl managed a Golden Corral restaurant for several years. Seeking a change of pace, he left Tulare to return to Moscow to pursue a degree in education. Karl worked incredibly hard preparing for his science teaching career. He learned chemistry well enough to be offered a graduate assistantship by his professor, but he needed to get back to work. He took his first teaching job in Idaho Falls at Bonneville High School in 1991. The following year he started teaching at Skyline where he stayed until 2014. Karl taught biology, chemistry, ecology, physics, space science, and zoology classes. He was an outstanding teacher who held his students to a high standard and worked tirelessly for their benefit. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of biology and could recite an incredible level of detail of cellular biology from memory. In 1993 their son Craig was born, and the family began to go on many adventures locally and farther afield. Karl loved to plan trips. He took his family camping, canoeing, hiking, backpacking, sea kayaking, amongst other adventures. They once took a backpacking trip with multiple llamas, six adults, six kids (including 2 year old Craig, who got to ride one of them), for seven days through the Seven Devils Wilderness. Karl also had numerous expeditions with his best friends from college, meeting them at least once a year for a boys trip. They climbed Mount Whitney, Mount Elbert, Mount Wheeler and many of the other high points of each state.

In 2008 he married the love of his life, Colleen (McIntosh) Thompson, a family friend of many years and well loved by his kids. Colleen and her sons Nathan and Nick Thompson were a big part of Karl’s life since childhood, and easily became a part of Karl’s immediate family. In 2005 Cody’s son Owen was born and Karl became a grandfather, a role he cherished. He thrived with both his own and Colleen’s grandkids, welcoming all of them as his own. Owen, Anna, Hunter and Lily all loved their grandpa very much and brought him ceaseless joy.

He was a true naturalist and a fearless lover and advocate for the outdoor world and its inhabitants. He was a core member of the local Alpine Club and the Friends of Camas Wildlife Refuge. He stood fiercely for truth and integrity in public life, and held people to account as much as he did himself. He loved his immediate and extended family more than anything. He is survived by his loving wife Colleen Bohan.