John Tenharkel

John Henry Ten Harkel, 76, Surprise Arizona, died Saturday July 12, 2014. He was born to the late Henry E. and Esther E. Liebenstein Ten Harkel in Michigan City Indiana, February 21, 1938. The family subsequently moved to Phoenix Arizona when John was a child. John attended Arizona State University and the University of Utah, receiving his BS in Meteorology at Utah. John worked 30 years for the National Weather Service in Phoenix before retiring in 1995. After retiring, John moved to one of the wettest places in the United States, Forks Washington, where he opened the Forks Coffee Shop recently featured in the movie Twilight. John loved weather, travel, hiking, and adventure. He was considered a reverse snowbird, spending rainy winters in Forks Washington, and the summer thunderstorm season at his cabin on Mt. Graham Arizona. During John's tenure in Phoenix he was passionate about adventure, extensively traveling off-road across the southwest U.S., and hiking and backpacking with friends. John loved Mt. Graham in eastern Arizona, spending an inordinate amount of time exploring the network of old and new trails across the mountain range. He became a Mt. Graham expert. John was also a very generous man, sharing much of his time, knowledge, expense, and enthusiasm with friends. He was absolutely inspiring. John is survived by his cousins Artis Liebenstein of Dundas Minnesota, and Don and Bev Liebenstien of St. Paul Minnesota and their families. Donations can be made to the Parkinson's Foundation in his honor at www.parkinson.org. Funeral arrangements were handled by Wickenburg Funeral Home in Wickenburg Arizona. A memorial will be held on Mt. Graham near Safford Arizona.