Obituary | John Behnke, public-spirited broadcast exec

The seeds were planted in a victory garden their mother tended in a vacant lot next to the family's Yakima home. As they grew, John Behnke and older brother Robert would thrive under the guidance of their community-service-minded parents, the experience spawning similar values as the boys became men.

Years later, Mr. Behnke — like his brother, who died in 1999 — would become a tireless public advocate as well as a respected broadcasting executive.

Mr. Behnke urged service in those around him while giving his time to numerous community organizations.

"John was really dedicated not just to public service but to getting the community involved," said Tom Mentele, director for advancement at the University of Washington's College of the Environment. "He was effective and diplomatic, just a really charming person."

Mr. Behnke, 82, died Oct. 9 after a long battle with Alzheimer's.

The former president and CEO of Fisher Broadcasting, he joined KOMO-AM as an account executive in 1957 and retired 36 years later as the corporation's chairman of the board.

He was an advocate of community-based programming, and the sense of connection KOMO-TV forged with Seattle residents under Mr. Behnke's leadership "was one of the main strengths of the station," said Patrick Scott, who succeeded Mr. Behnke as Fisher's president and CEO in 1991.

"He would strongly encourage, and to a degree insist, that people within the organization be involved in the community and understand what their issues were," Scott said.

In 1991, the Washington State Association of Broadcasters named Mr. Behnke broadcaster of the year.

Born in Wenatchee, Mr. Behnke moved with his family to Yakima, where his father, Carl, eventually became mayor. He earned an economics degree at the UW and remained an enthusiastic supporter of the school throughout his life, chairing the UW Alumni Association's alumni fund in 1966-69 and serving as association president in 1970-71.

In 2005, the UW Alumni Association gave him its Distinguished Service Award.

A solid jacket-and-tie man, "he was an executive-level, presidential kind of person," UW's Mentele said. "But he did it subtly. He was just persuasive, charming and witty. ... We need more people like him."

Mr. Behnke also served on the boards of 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle Rotary, Children's Hospital Foundation, Seattle Goodwill Industries, Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Seattle Association.

He combined leadership and advocacy with his love of horticulture as an ardent supporter of the Arboretum Foundation, focused on providing access for all ages to the Washington Park Arboretum's plant collection.

But he also made time for his family, said sister-in-law Sally Behnke.

"He cared about other people before he cared about himself," she said. "He was helpful in any way he could be."

Mr. Behnke's first wife, Margaret, died in 1997. He married his second wife, Charlotte, a year later. The couple traveled to Scotland, Wales and Guatemala, touring arboreta wherever they went.

"We tromped through a lot of tree-surrounded paths," Charlotte Behnke said. "Tirelessly. Sunshine or rain."

But it was in France, after stays at the homes of artists, that Mr. Behnke's passion for painting was ignited. It was an activity he pursued even after he moved into assisted living, becoming accomplished enough that images he produced were featured on note cards sold to benefit the Washington Park Arboretum and UW Botanic Gardens.

"Just like everything else he did, he was so focused on what he was doing," his wife said. "He believed in the life that he lived."

A memorial service will be 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, at the UW's Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 N.E. 41st St., in Seattle.

Contributions in Mr. Behnke's name may be made to the UW Botanic Gardens/Washington Park Arboretum, c/o UW Foundation, 4333 Brooklyn Ave. N.E., Box 359504, Seattle, WA 98195; or to The 5th Avenue Theatre's Education and Outreach School Program, c/o 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 Fifth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101.

Mr. Behnke is survived by his wife; a son, Paul; a daughter, Jean; two stepsons, Grant and Tim Mirick; and two grandchildren.

Marc Ramirez: 206-464-8102 or mramirez@seattletimes.com