John Droege

John Droege passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, on February 14, 2016. He was 93.
John was born in Santa Monica, CA on July 8, 1922 to Charles Henry and Karoline Droege. He was raised in Corona Del Mar, Calif. After graduating from Newport Harbor Union High School in 1940, he attended The University of Southern California and UC Berkeley, graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering. His schooling was interrupted by 4 years service as a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.
After World War II, John worked as a civil engineer in Los Angeles, but his love for adventure and skiing took him to the European Alps for a year abroad. He later returned to the U.S. as General Manager of the Rustler Lodge in Alta, Utah prior to receiving a job offer to return to Germany as a civilian engineer for the US Army Corps. His initial intent was to stay for a few years; he stayed 26 years. While sailing a small lake near Munich he met his wife Anna, who shared his love of outdoor sports and adventure. John and Anna were married in 1963 and had two children who they brought up in the environment they loved so much. Summers were spent sailing and winters skiing in Kitzbuehel, Austria.
Upon John’s retirement in 1981, John and his family moved to Ketchum, Idaho where they built an Austrian-style home that John designed, engineered and built. The family quickly fell in love with all the valley offerings, from hiking to biking, tennis and most of all, skiing. John’s passion was ski racing and being a part of the Master’s ski racing community. Always the competitor, he won numerous National Championships and worked hard to continuously improve his technique.
John is survived by his wife Anna, his son John Jr., daughter Karoline their spouses and 3 grandsons.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made in his honor to Hospice of the Wood River Valley.
The family plans a private funeral service at the Ketchum Cemetery and will have a celebration of his life at a later date.