Harold W. Poehlmann

Harold W. Poehlmann, a Petaluma native, decorated World War II veteran, chicken rancher and medical field innovator, died at his Santa Rosa home June 4 after a brief battle with cancer. He was 85.

Poehlmann was a member of the family that ran the Poehlmann Hatchery in Petaluma from 1926 to the mid 1970s.

Poehlmann enlisted in the Marines during World War II, participating in a number of campaigns, most significantly the invasion of the island of Peleliu in the Pacific Theatre, a three-month battle in which American and Japanese forces suffered heavy casualties.

"He was shot in the leg running across Bloody Nose Ridge, and the only way to get medical help was to run back across the ridge under enemy fire," said his daughter, Anne Husmann of Siletz, Ore.

Poehlmann received a Purple Heart for his injury.

"He was very patriotic. He absolutely believed in serving this country, which is why he went into the Marines in the first place," she said.

Poehlmann returned to Petaluma after the war, receiving his bachelor's degree in poultry husbandry from the University of California, Davis.

He married Winferd Poehlmann in 1950. They lived in Petaluma, working at the family hatchery and raising three children.

In 1957, the family moved to Cuerna Vaca, Mexico, where Poehlmann started a hatchery, which they owned for four years before selling it to the manager and moving back to the United States.

Poehlmann worked as an electrical engineer for Hewlett-Packard at Fort Collins, Colo., for a decade, at the same time receiving a master's degree in physiology from Colorado State.

The family moved to Oklahoma City, where Poehlmann founded an ultrasound training program at the University of Oklahoma Health Services Center while also working at the Veterans Administration Hospital.

Poehlmann worked at Veterans Administration Hospitals in Kansas City and in San Francisco, and then worked for the Framington Heart Study in Framington, Mass., retiring in 1995.

The family had a part-time home in Oakmont since 1977 and moved there permanently in 2002.

Winferd Poehlmann died in 2006. They were married 56 years.

"He was a born optimist and a gentle, sweet-natured person, but he would stick to his guns, very quiet, end of discussion," his daughter said. "I don't know anybody who met my dad who didn't love him."

He was also involved in Rotary and in St. Patrick's Episcopal Church in Kenwood.

Besides his daughter, he is survived by sons Evan Poehlmann of Santa Rosa and Jeffrey Poehlmann of Petaluma; a brother, Keith Poehlmann of Napa; and two grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at noon Monday at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church in Kenwood. Donations to hospice are requested. Eggen & Lance Chapel in Santa Rosa handled arrangements.

- Bob Norberg