Our beloved Werner Rentz died on Tuesday July 16, 2026 at the age of 96.

What a life!

Werner Gerhard Oskar Rentz was born on July 4, 1930 in Hamburg, Germany.

But this birth date would turn out to be terrible timing. The city was an early target in the war. Werner’s sister told that his first communion was interrupted by bombing and had to be moved to the basement of the city’s historic St Michael’s Church. Later Werner and his sisters were evacuated to rural areas as part of a program to save children from bombing. They lived with host families who received minimal benefits for taking care of them. Later bombing reduced the city to rubble. His father was reported missing on the eastern front and wasn’t accounted for until decades later. The family got by however they could and the resulting challenges set the tone for a life spent beating the odds.

Inspired by his grandfather, Werner began an apprenticeship which developed into lifelong career and love of woodworking. An uncle in the United States sponsored his trip and he settled in Virginia in 1951. But not for long. Welcome to the U.S. You’re in the Army now! By April 1952 he was in Fairbanks, Alaska. He did 24 months of military service, including by his own account, a stint as a terrible short-order cook.

Between a childhood in chilly north Germany and two years in Alaska, the promise of a sun-filled California called. He moved to Los Angeles where he met his wife Lillian and married on February 25, 1961. He started his own woodworking business making fine furniture. He liked to talk about the places he traveled while installing his beautiful work including Kuwait, Egypt, and Paris. He also did jobs in New York City, Chicago, and Palm Springs. 

He had two daughters and settled into a family-oriented life filled with local activities. He loved the beach, jazz concerts, and dinners out with friends. His grilling skills were expert level and he was known for making a Manhattan that would peel your face off. He enjoyed travel. The north German could never get enough sunshine. Island locations with sandy beaches remained his favorite.

In retirement he moved to Orleans and enjoyed rural living along the Klamath River and spending time with extended family.

But living a long life caught up and life got tough, throwing one health challenge after the other. He kept fighting back. Eventually it was time for a sturdier support system and he moved to a retirement community in Vancouver, Washington to be closer to his daughter and son-in-law.

Werner was quite a character and always quick with a funny story. His sense of humor was legendary; he didn’t lose sleep over being inappropriate. Even his caregivers weren’t safe. When one told him she was concerned about him bathing alone, he gestured at the shower and said, “But two people won’t fit in there.”

He was a social guy and once you were one of Werner’s people, you stayed one of Werner’s people. This included colleagues, neighbors, and his huge extended family. Even at the very end he never failed to charm his caregivers.

Werner is survived by his wife of 65 years, Lillian, and his two daughters, Pamela (Robert Hughes) and Erin (Tim Burnett).  He was preceded in death by his parents, Heinrich and Erna Rentz, and his beloved sisters and partners-in-crime, Hilla Schult and Irmgard Filter.

Werner’s ashes will be scattered in the hills above Orleans. Celebration of life will take place on October 10, at 11 a.m. at the MKWC Building in Orleans, 38150 Highway 96.  Potluck lunch to follow.  

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Werner Rentz’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.