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William Henry Magie III (Pat)

Pat Magie
Pat Magie

WILLIAM HENRY MAGIE  III (PAT)

April 29, 1930 - December 26, 2022 of Copalis Beach, Washington passed peacefully at home on December 26, 2022.

Pat lived a life of adventure that most people just dream of. Known as Pat as there were already two William Henry Magie’s ahead of him.

He learned many survival skills in the woods of Minnesota. Taught to him by his father Bill Magie who had flying license #8 signed by Orville and Wilbur Wright and his mother Lucille Magie who was a nurse as well as a teacher to her children when they lived too far out of town to go to a regular school.

He joined the Marine Corps during the Korean War and when his enlistment was up he returned to his beloved Minnesota to continue in the canoe guiding business.

He bought his first airplane in 1956 (figuring it was a easier way to see the wilderness) paying $850.00 for the plane, $1,200.00 for a set of Edo 1320 floats and $380.00 to a mechanic for annual inspection.  He went on to own over 450 airplanes in his long flying time.

As his flight instructor (and soon to become a lifetime mentor and friend) Chick Beel said, “I think I created a monster.” That monster went on to own three long term flying businesses in three states: three, Minnesota, Alaska and Hawaii with over 40,000 hours of accident free flying. He was also a well known seaplane stunt pilot which started with the movie “The Phantom” which he filmed in Thailand where he was know as the body double for Catherine Zeta Jones.

He was blessed to have many young pilots and wannabe pilots walk through his doors and with those skills  he passed on many have gone on to make a career in aviation. He made life long friends in the process.

His ashes will be scattered by an airplane of course.  In Alaska, Minnesota and Oregon. With the Oregon part of scattering  flown by Clayton and Eve Eveland who gravitated to our seaplane base in Honolulu and be came friends and the family we choose for life.

Pat always said, “Find something you love to do and find someone to pay you to do it.”

Pat was preceded in death by his son Patrick Magie.

Pat is survived by his wife and longtime partner Debbie Magie, son Scott Magie,  daughters Katie Prijatel and Kelly Grahek,  sisters Micky Calenger, Sally Hulstrand, Joan McMillian and Susie Berggren.

In lieu of flowers – if you are a pilot become a mentor to those new generations of adventurers and pass on some of the stories Pat told you. You can find them in his book, “Whatta Life” by Pat Magie.

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