Mitchel (Mitch) Rohse 1943 - 2024

A pioneer in Oregon land-use planning, an author and photographer, Mitchel "Mitch" Rohse was born in 1943 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. With his wife, Louann, and several friends by his side, he passed away from cancer on November 29, 2024.

After World War II, his parents, Homer and Elaine, moved to Oregon, and Mitch graduated from McMinnville High School in 1961. Inheriting an adventurous spirit from his parents, Mitch became a Peace Corps Volunteer in Borneo, a weather observer for the Air Force in Texas and Vietnam, and a graduate teaching assistant in Hawaii.

Mitch met Louann, a woman who shared his joy for life and love of travel. In 1979, they left their wedding in a hot air balloon and continued adventuring together for the next 45 years. In 1983, they quit their jobs to backpack for six months around New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Southeast Asia. During that trip, they celebrated Mitch's 40th birthday by summiting Mount Kinabalu in Borneo. Other favorite trips for the pair included the Galapagos Islands, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Greece, a hike across Sicily, a safari in Zambia, and visiting family in Ireland.

Mitch graduated from the University of Oregon with a master's in Urban Planning, and worked in land-use planning with Lane and Polk counties before joining Oregon's Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) in 1980. He served as Communications Manager for the DLCD and continued consulting after his retirement.

Mitch was a skilled writer, expressing his talent through articles and two books, and humorous poetry that was always in demand for friends’ celebrations. He was also the consummate master of puns.

In retirement, he took up photography. His website "Just My Nature," features Mitch’s photos of wildlife, travel, and landscapes.

Mitch will be greatly missed, and remembered for his kindness, wit, curiosity for life, generosity, and enduring friendships. He was preceded in death by his parents, Homer and Elaine; and his daughter, Julie. He is survived by his wife, Louann; his son, Jeff Mann (Janet), and their children, Kendall, Emma, and Cameron; and by granddaughters, Eva and Ella Lamb.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Spring of 2025.

Donations in his memory can be made to the Nature Conservancy or the Oregon Humane Society. Condolences and memories of Mitch may be left for his family at: johnsoncelebrations.com/obituaries