[2] During World War II, he served as a photographer in the U.S. Coast Guard in the Aleutian Islands and western Pacific.
In 1950, he earned a BSc degree in geology at the University of Washington, and then served as civilian adviser at Camp Hale and the Mountain Warfare Training Center.
On April 7, 2012, the American Alpine Club inducted Molenaar into its Hall of Mountaineering Excellence at an award ceremony in Golden, Colorado.
[3] Molenaar turned 100 in June 2018 and died on January 19, 2020, at an adult care home in Burlington, Washington.
With precious fuel for melting snow running low, his teammates made him drink the remaining water colored with pigments.