Pat Houghton, 60, passed away after a short struggle with kidney cancer at his home in Vancouver, WA. He was born in Carson City, NV to James Vincent and Joan Houghton. He graduated from Carson High School in 1971 and attended the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Pat was an outgoing, gregarious man, and avid baseball fan. He loved the outdoors and spent time cross-country skiing. Pat's love of the outdoors lead him to work involving natural resources: at both McMurdo and South Pole Stations in Antarctica unloading C-130s; with the California Ecology Corps on the Pacific Crest Trail; in the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Sport Fish and Habitat Divisions; and in wildfire management for Alaska Fire Service (Fairbanks) and the interagency Northwest Coordination Center in Portland, OR. After leaving the NW Coordination Center in 2007, he volunteered for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, then the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Visitors Center until his death.
Pat is survived by his loving wife of 15 years, Judith Ann Gordon; twin brother, Roy and his wife, Pamela Houghton of Carson City; older brother, Peter of Thailand; niece, Sarah and her husband, Josh Billings and their children of Carson City; nephew, Adam Houghton and his wife, Anna of Reno, NV; niece, Elise McClain, U.S. Army Tampa, FL and her children; nephew, David Eagle of Noxon, MT; mother-in-law, Naomi Gordon of Neptune, NJ; and his sister-in-law, Danielle Gordon of Princeton, NJ.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Sept. 27 at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Visitors Center.