Louis “Lou” S. Zielinski
- December 30,2021
-----Alyeska Corporate Communications---Thursday, January 6, 2022-----------------------------
It is with regret that we inform you of the passing of former Alyeska employee Louis “Lou” S. Zielinski on December 30, 2021. Lou joined Alyeska on July 9, 1991, as a Pipeline Mechanical Technician, assigned to the northern end of the line. He worked at several pump stations during his career, eventually returning north and remaining at PS01 until his retirement on February 22, 2016.
Lou is survived by his wife Kari. Condolences and memories can be sent to Kari at svpassport@gmail.com. Kari plans a celebration of life for Lou in late August in Alaska, and expects to be able to share details by early summer.
Click HERE for more Lou Zielinski photos.
John Ballard
Lou and I had been friends since the early seventies. We worked on airplanes together at a couple of places. We used to go flying together in my old J-5 and had good adventures. He was one of the most honest good people I have ever known with a very good set of values. He is sorely missed by many people. He was a person that made life a much nicer place to be.
Bonnie Cudnohufsky
I'm so sorry to hear of Lou's passing. I was fortunate to work with Lou as part of the PS9 Recommission Team during the Strategic Reconfiguration (SR) project in '05-06. He welcomed me to the team and along with the other technicians, made the project educational, interesting, and loads of fun. Technicians sure know how to have fun! It brings back good memories. Thanks Lou. Sorry to see you go so young.Paul Holley
Sad to hear about Lou Z. I enjoyed working with him as a Technician on the line. God speed Lou Z.
Jeff Moustafa
A good man has passed. Lou was instrumental in the roll out of the National Board Safety Valve Repair Program to the Pump Stations in the 90s, but more than his skills as a a top notch technician was his ability to turn a group of strangers into a team of friends. His quiet sincerity and genuine kindness immediately put people at ease and, with him making the introductions, made my job of rolling out the PSV repair trailer to the pump stations infinitely easier. My memories of him and our time traveling the line are a cherished part of my years at Alyeska.
Tom Rensch
I was traveling through Arizona with my wife in our RV when we came upon a small Hot Springs and stopped for a dip. There was only one other guy in the hot Springs so of course we started up a conversation about Alaska and the pipeline. The guy said, do you know LouZ, I was his best man at his wedding and he's my best friend! He told me Lou was not doing well and couldn't talk anymore but like to get texts and talk to people that way. So we called Kari in the parking lot and she told us about Lou and the troubles he'd been going through. He was very happy to hear from me so we communicated by text for quite a while. He sounded like the same old LouZ everybody knows, that's funny dry sense of humor. I feel very fortunate to have heard from him before he passed. I'm still trying to figure out the odds of sitting in a hot Springs in the middle of nowhere Arizona and the one guy in the hot Springs knows LouZ?
I guess that's what they called Divine Providence.
Christopher Bias (Bias)
It was an honor to know Lou Zielinski in my time on the Pipeline, this calm truly friendly guy with a droll sense of humor. I'm a better person to have known him..
Howard Echo-Hawk
There are certain folks when they show up, you know everything is going to be OK.
Lou was one of those guys.
Honest, hard working, sharp, conscientious. An old timer who loved the PL and its family.
and as old timers when we leave it is said, "It's been an honor"
RIP