Karl Protil

Furniture maker, accordion player Age: 82

Karl Protil was born in 1939 in Serbia to a German family. In 1945, the family took a train west as the Russian army advanced during World War II and ended up in Linz, Austria. When Protil was 17, his family took a ship to New York and eventually relocated to Staunton, Virginia.

As he lay dying of COVID-19 in late August 2021, Protil was trying to persuade his daughter to learn the accordion, an instrument he played at Edelweiss German Restaurant for 30 years. He wanted her to take over.

Protil, 82, also was a master furniture and cabinetmaker.

Although he had been vaccinated, Protil was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Aug. 17. He died five days later.

“He was one of the most wonderful men you would ever meet,” said his daughter, Allyson Langston.

His passions accompanied him to the grave when he was buried in a casket he built himself.