Konrad Louis Schweiger was born on 8. Nov. 1945 at Klamath Falls, Klamath County, Oregon. He was the son of
Louis Vincent Schweiger and
Gretta Penny (Unknown). Konrad Louis Schweiger married
Cynthia Jean (Unknown). Konrad Louis Schweiger died on 11. Apr. 2002 at age 56. Deceased construction co. co-founder remembered
Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, OR), Apr 17, 2002 by Stephanie Basalyga
When Konrad Schweiger died unexpectedly this past Thursday, he left behind some big shoes to fill, say those who knew him.
"(He) was a giant in the construction and diving industry," said Dee Burch, the president of Advanced American Diving Services Inc., the marine construction company Schweiger co-founded two decades ago.
Schweiger, 56, was honored Tuesday during a memorial service attended by family, friends and industry colleagues. For many, the honor was a continuation of the respect Schweiger had earned throughout his life, in both personal and business arenas.
"Konnie lived life to the fullest," said Mike Johns, chief of operations for Schweiger's company. "Whether he was working or playing, it was always at full throttle."
Schweiger was born Nov. 8, 1945 in the southern Oregon community of Klamath Falls. He attended Oregon Institute of Technology and in 1966 began working as a sheet metal worker and welder with Northwest Marine and Ironworks of Portland.
But his true love was diving. The affection in 1972 drew him to the Washington state company of Commercial Divers of Vancouver, where he became a lead diver and construction superintendent. Four years later, he joined Fred Devine Diving and Salvage Inc. of Portland as a diving supervisor.
He later moved into the entrepreneurial arena, joining with business partner Bill Shires in 1980 to open All Coast Commercial Divers in Coos Bay on the southern Oregon coast.
He continued his entrepreneurial adventures in 1983 when he and Kent Cochran established Advanced American Diving Services in Oregon City in 1983.
The company soon earned respect in the industry for its commitment to top-notch work, winning a national award for its part in the first phase of the East Bank Esplanade project in Portland. Other recent projects included repair of navigation locks at the Lower Granite Dam and the expansion of a terminal for the Port of Vancouver.
Schweiger passed his love of construction and diving to his son, Forrest, who began working at Advanced American Diving at an early age, sweeping floors and running general errands.
Father and son later worked on company projects until Forrest's death at the age of 27 in a 1999 on-site accident.
To honor Forrest, Advanced American Diving decided to start a memorial scholarship fund, investing $100,000 as seed money. The initial goal of the fund was to provide four scholarships by the spring of 2000 for students interested in pursuing secondary degrees in construction and related fields.
Nearly one year later, the Forrest L. Schweiger Memorial Scholarship Fund presented its first round of scholarships to 10 students.
Since that time, more than 86 companies have made donations to the fund. Last year, 11 scholarships were awarded. At the end of this month, another 13 scholarships, ranging from $3,000 to $1,500, will be presented to students.
Schweiger was a driving force behind his son's memorial fund, taking part in the selection committee that picked each year's scholarship winners. Keeping the scholarship fund going is one of the greatest tributes his colleagues and friends say they can pay to Schweiger.
"Despite (his) passing, I can guarantee that the scholarship fund will continue and will help even more students in the future," said Burch.
Schweiger is survived by his wife, Cynthia Jean Schweiger, and his father, Louis V. Schweiger. Also surviving him are a daughter- in-law, Andrea Schweiger, a brother-in-law, John Lindmeier, two nieces and one nephew.
Memorial contributions in Schweiger's name can be made to The Forrest L. Schweiger Memorial Fund, c/o Advanced American Diving Service Inc., P.O. Box 1630, Oregon City, OR, 97045.