Mitchel Rohse

A pioneer in Oregon land-use planning, an author and photographer, Mitch Rohse was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico in 1943. After World War II, the family moved to McMinnville, Oregon. A graduate of McMinnville High School in 1961, he was a member of the National Honor Society, band president, and a four-year letterman on the track and swim teams. Inheriting an adventurous spirit from his parents, he 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 Mt. 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. For 30 years, they took annual rafting trips with friends on the Lower Deschutes and Rogue Rivers. Other beloved sites were the family ranch in Eastern Oregon and his parents' cabin on Devil's Lake. At the latter, Mitch perfected his skills as a slalom water skier by going backward, barefoot, and once- - after a dare!- - skiing on a lawn chair. Mitch and Louann enjoyed sea kayaking and loved encountering humpback whales up close and personal off of Maui. 

Mitch graduated from University of Oregon in 1973 with a Master's in Urban Planning, and worked in land-use planning with Lane and Polk County 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 this talent through several articles and two books. The first of these was 1987's "Land Use Planning in Oregon," and he served as lead author of the award-winning "Cool Planning: A Handbook on Local Strategies to Slow Climate Change," a recipient of the American Planning Association's Award of Excellence for a Best Practice in 2012. His humorous poetry was always in demand for friends’ birthdays, retirements, and other celebrations. He was also the consummate master of puns.

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

Mitch will be greatly missed. He will be remembered for his kindness, wit, curiosity for life, generosity, and enduring friendships. With his wife Louann and several friends by his side, he passed away on November 29 from cancer. 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 2025. Donations in his memory can be made to the Nature Conservancy or the Oregon Humane Society.