John Jerome Coppers
February 1, 1938 ~ August 30, 2007
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
John Jerome Coppers, 69, of Asheville, NC, and Boulder, CO, died at home on August 30, 2007.
A native of Shreveport, LA, Mr. Coppers was the son of the late John Jerome Coppers, Sr. and Dorothy Ruth Turner.
John, a US Marine Corps veteran, had a varied career in management, marketing, and real estate.
Mr. Coppers is survived by his life partner, Elaine Seymour; son, John David and his wife, Jill, and their children, Virginia Lois and Zachary, of Pine Mountain, GA; and grandchildren through Elaine, Emily and Lucy Criddle.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Monday, September 10 at the Western Carolina State Veterans’ Cemetery Chapel with military honors by the Buncombe Co. Veterans’ Council Memorial Team.
John’s family would appreciate donations in his name to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 9801-I Southern Pines Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28273, or to the Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250, Attn: Gift Processing.
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Dear Elaine,
I am so sorry to hear of John’s passing and send you my warmest heartfelt blessings during this time of grief to you and your family. As one of your lucky neighbors in Niwot,it’s true I DID think of you as the ‘odd couple!’ But three cheers for ‘odd’ because your happiness with each other was palpable and that happiness radiated to all who were lucky enough to be around you two playful joyful generous lovers!
I am sending prayers of support and love to you and to John; may you find comfort in knowing that the blessings that he gave to others through his kindness and humor will continue to flower on this earth for a long long time.
From my heart,
Donna McIntyre
Dearest Elaine,
I remember meeting John for the first time: You and John drove up to our house in a caravan and John insisted on sleeping in the caravan in the street while you slept in our guest room. You assured me this was o.k. Since our daughter Emi, then only about 6 years old, wanted to go with you to the Olympics–and did, and had a great time, I knew John was a fine guy.
I also remember the last time I spoke to John, about a year ago. While visiting the East Coast, I called you to say hello but you were travelling. John and I talked on the phone for a long time, he enthusiastic about his real estate work and his enjoyment of the NC house.
I look forward to seeing you in person to give you a big hug. Until then, receive our love,
Angela, Chip, and Emi
It’s a shame, how there is so much that we just don’t think about or reflect upon until something happens.
When I start thinking about my Father and all of the things we’ve done – the memories come flooding back.
I CAN remember him teaching me how to ride a bike and a motorcycle. I have great memories of camping and skiing, and him teaching me how to play billards. I also have great memories of us working together for several years. These and hundreds more fill my mind, with thoughts of holidays and parties, and joyous occasions.
I know these memories where good for him too, because…he would say so. He was the type of man who would openly count his blessings, and on several occasions in recent years has told me that he loved me and how proud he was of me. And, on a day like today, this gives me comfort.
I can use a lot of words to describe my Dad…he was honest, kind and very sociable.
He could also be very stubborn on some things. Once he had his mind made up or an opinion formed….that was that.
He was very generous and open handed with people. He always wanted to share himself and his home with others.
His personality was large in a room. He seemed to fill the space he was in, not to fade into the background. At a party if you wanted to find him you only had to listen out for his laugh.
His dreams were also large and always included others. If he was successful at anything he always wanted everyone around him along for the ride and to prosper as well.
He had a true gift for making lasting friendships, telling stories, telling the same jokes over and over again, making people laugh while bringing positive energy where ever he went.
I believe my Father will be remembered for his big and boisterous laugh – his dance – his stories. He also had the ability to make friends and touch people. When all is said and done that’s not half bad….not bad at all.
Thank you all for coming to say goodbye to John. He would have been happy to see you here. In the days since John died, I have cried and laughed with so many people who loved him and wanted to share their memories of him with me. In his open, generous, and caring way, he touched many lives.
I wish also to thank the Veterans Memorial Team who honor him today. It was his long-standing wish to be buried with military honors in these green hills which he chose whole-heartedly as his last home. John was SEMPER FIDELES – always a marine. He loved the corps, and spoke with happy memories of his service in his country and the Far East during the period of the Korean War. He was active in the Longmont American Legion near our home in Colorado and served in many honors guards at the funerals of fall Legion friends. In military academy he was a competitive drill team member, and, despite problems with his back and hip for over the last few years he could always straighten his shoulders and march forth.
As many of you know, John loved to dance. He and I had got together on the dance floor in Boulder, Colorado, 16 years ago, and we never left it. Although most recently, we mostly danced in the kitchen, we have rumba-ed on sailing cruises in the Caribbean, danced rock and roll in our ski boots, boogied at hops, parties and weddings, and danced our own particular Country and Western style to every live band in striking distance of our home in Niwot, Colorado. I think anyone who ever saw John dance, will remember his joy and his great style on the floor. He had an empeccable sense of rhythm: no matter if I mis-stepped, he was right there to catch me-solid as a rock.
And the way he danced was the way he lived. John was a great partner. And I am aware that people have sometimes seen us as the odd couple, and perhaps wondered why we were so happy together-and, indeed we have been happy-very happy. One reason is that our temperaments were so complimentary. I was the noisy adventurous partner, always out in my professional world, slaying dragons; John was the steady, quiet, unshakable center that I came home to. It was my role to stir him up and make him laugh; it was he who picked me up, dusted me down, listened as I talked things through, and gave me his ever-reasonable counsel. Just as on the dance floor, there he was, steady as a rock. He was ever telling me that he loved me and on a regular basis, asked me to marry him. He put up with my affectionate refusals with good grace on the basis of, ‘Why spoil a good thing?’ As a woman, I had the priceless experience of John’s unequivocal love. He was so proud of me and would talk about us to everyone he met. He shared pictures of his family, and happy times in our lives, from the small photo book that he always carried with him.
John was a happy man. And never more so than in the process of building and moving into our home on Town Mountain. He would sit our with me on the deck most evenings, a drink in hand, gazing down the valley. And he would tell me how happy it made him to be exactly where he was, here with me in this lovely place.
John did many things in his professional life in management, marketing, and real estate. What he liked most about his work was to be out in the world, working with people. As a young man, he was a highly successful regional manager for AT&T. When he moved into real estate in the 1970’s he helped to start the first Remax office in Colorado. He specialized in farm and ranch properties and became an expert in water rights and law-an important issue in a high desert state. He worked in many forms of marketing, but his favorite sales job in later life was as the paint manager for our local hardware store. He loved this job, and although, sadly, the company closed, the friendships he made there continue to this day. He briefly retired, but he missed getting out and about, talking to people. So, in our last two years in Colorado, to took a part-time job with a local bus company who quickly seized on his skills as a trouble-shooter, both with personnel issues and with the vehicles. By the time we left Colorado to move to Asheville, it was his boast that every bus in Longmont depot was running properly. John was good with machinery. He would get under a car hood with considerable relish and mostly with success. He was also a compulsive tool squirrel: he had a complete set of everything-both in US sizes and in metric.
When we moved here, he was so happy to go back into real estate, specifically into seeking out property for clients-which was what he enjoyed most-both the detective work and what he called, ‘helping people to achieve their goals.’ Moving states meant re-qualifying as a real estate broker and he came ahead of our move to take the classes and exams. John was a natural mathematician and had a good head for detail; he passed the brokerage exams with his usual panache, complaining like a teenager that he only made 96%. He quickly made friends through his work-both colleagues and clients-and some of you who are here today have spoken to me of his warmth and of the trouble that he took to help them. This year, he was busy developing a service in foreclosure property and it gave him great satisfaction to help people into a home who might otherwise have found that hard to achieve. As I have said, John was a happy man-happy in his daily work and happy in his home.
John was also a good man. He had a geniune concern for others and was generous with his time and his resources. He was perhaps the most honest person I ever met; he simply did not know how to dissemble. He was patient and slow to anger. He was a loyal and loving friend and a good dad. John was also a man of faith. He believed in the inherent goodness of people, in a benevolent diety, and that the spirit never dies.
Although John lived in Colorado for over thirty years, he was ever a Southerner-in his slow speech, old-fashioned courtesies, and the tendancy to pace himself. You simply could not hurry the man. However, he was also ahead of his time in his intolerance for any form of prejudice. In the late 1960’s, he took a deliberate decision to end his managerial career with AT&T who had moved him back to his native Louisiana to assist in opening a new plant. He did this because he would not tolerate the overt racism of those times and did not want his son, John, to be raised in that atmosphere. And he always credited his marine experiences as the source of his profound sense of the brotherhood of man. he also had a great respect and admiration for women and enjoyed working with them. It is not every man that can live comfortably with a somewhat driven career woman. John was proud of my professional accomplishments but was never intimidated by them.
John was fun to be with. He liked telling stories and jokes. In fact, he was so fond of particular jokes you probably heard them several times. He liked to sing and had an attractive deep voice. He firmly believed that he could play the guitar. And he had a big laugh that everyone remembers. He loved to barbeque and was very good at it. I have never met anyone who, like him, could just look at a piece of meat and know whether it was done. As our friends will remember, every year he smoked wonderful meats for our annual Christmas party-an event to which he always looked forward. He loved to ski and we went down-hilling together until he acquired an artificial hip. He also loved being out in the countryside-especially in wild places. As a young man, he fished, he hunted, and rode his motorcycle all over the Colorado back country. We had many good times in our old camper, traveling through the western national parks, the Pacific North West, and up into Western Canada. I particularly remember one wild camp site on the Colorado/New Mexico border where he sat outdoors the whole night. Next morning, when I asked him why, he said, ‘Because I couldn’t see a light in any direction for perhaps one hundred miles-except for the stars.’
He liked animals, adopted all the neighborhood dogs and cats, and shared my enjoyment in feeding wild birds. He never got the hang of gardening, but he enjoyed my efforts and liked cutting the lawn. He could be quite sentimental: he would cry over a sloppy movie and was a sucker for soft toys. On Valentine’s Day, he always brought me a bunch of balloons that we launched off the deck. He couldn’t bear violence in films, but was addicted to American football. John was also famously stubborn. Once he made up his mind about something, you just couldn’t shift him. Although, in his quiet way, we would say, ‘Okay, Hon’, you always knew he would go his own way. John was good with tools and we enjoyed doing projects together. Our last effort was to assemble a TV cabinet that arrived in two flat packs. The instructions suggested it might take us two hours. It actually took us two weekends, a dozen beers, and some help from a friend. But he stayed good-humored even when we had to retro-fit a piece we had somehow missed. But, at the end, he did say, ‘Hon: I think that’s our last piece of furniture.’ And so it was.
As you may know, this was a difficult year for John in terms of health. Since the spring, he struggled with his disabling pain in his back and hip. But he was learning to live with his physical limitations, lost some weight, started swimming again, and was beginning to walk without his cane. I cancelled my travel schedule and we settled in to enjoy a very happy summer together. Encouraged by his doctor not to restrict his life, we were planning a trip to Australia in October and we were very excited about this. And we were starting to discuss travel ideas for the next year. As it turned out, these things were not to be, and I have lost him far too soon. My great consolation is that he died in the midst of a good life-happy in our relationship, his family, his work, his friends, and his home.
As for myself, I have lost my partner, my lover and my best friend. I did not want to say ‘Goodbye’ to him too soon, but now I must. But he has left me a treasury of memories and they will keep me company through the difficult days ahead. Good-bye, my love.
Elaine
September 10, 2007
We were so sorry to hear about John’s passing. What a wonderful man he was, and how lucky we were to have had him in our life. When I remember John I think of his amazing smile, his funny stories, and how he lived life to the fullest. He seemed to enjoy almost anything and everything that came his way. What a wonderful pair the two of you were…we all loved to see you dance. We could feel the happiness and love between you, and it was somehow inspiring.
I can’t imagine the sense of loss you must feel right now. John brought so much to your world, it must seem kind of empty without him. Remember that you too are such an amazing person, and that your family and friends love and support you. Hopefully your wonderful memories of John and your life together will somehow give you peace.
Dear Elaine,
May your family and friends sustain you during this difficult time. God bless.
Sandy and Bob Courter
‘The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.’ – Cicero
I would so have liked to be in attendance at John’s memorial, if only to recognize and honor his service to our country. John was a true patriot of the United States of America, who served this country, and I offer him my sincere gratitude.
If nothing else is said of John, let it be known that he was a GOOD man. He was kind, gentle, and at times, sweetly generous to a fault. He had a heart of gold.
What I will miss most…the sound of his laughter. Such a jovial, hearty, full-bellied laugh. Irony (and honest silliness) never escaped him. John loved a good joke, and he almost always had a smile on his face. Compassionate, warm, always willing to lend a hand.
Your passing is such a loss to our world. My love to you, John. Godspeed.
Dear Elaine and Coppers family members,
I had the pleasure of knowing and working with Jerry some years back. He was such a friendly, outgoing, funny person. Hard to have a bad day around him. It is a great loss to all of us who had the enjoyment of knowing him.
My thoughts and prayers are with you all. He is remembered fondly.
Dear Elaine and family members,
John was a wonderful human being who lived life large. It was Susan’s and my privilege and delight to know him and know Elaine and John together. His company is what we will miss most. He was a wonderful story teller, and the talent was not wasted ‘? John’s life was a series of remarkable adventures. And though we were on active duty at different times, John and I had significantly similar reactions to serving our country in the United States Marine Corps. We also shared a similar love of family.
What a man! He is loved and he will be missed.
Semper Fidelis
To Elaine and others in John’s family,
I am so very sorry to learn of John’s passing. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers.
Ruth Streveler
Dear Elaine,
I was very sad to hear the news of John’s passing away.
I feel fortunate that I was your neighbor in Niwot for many years. I remember most John’s enthusiasm for whatever he was doing. If he was going fishing or taking a cruise it didn’t seem to matter that much, he was excited to be doing it and loved sharing his enthusiasm. I couldn’t pass by him without a friendly and hearty greeting and a few words about what was new in his plans. And it always seemed that John had some wonderful plan on the horizon. I also know how excited he was to be moving to North Carolina’?I remember him showing me the photos of the first house, and then the photos of the new and improved replacement home! You have both been missed very much here in Niwot since your move away over two years ago.
I also know that John was very involved in the project to send books to my school in Nepal during my years in the Peace Corps. I was very touched by the generosity of both of you to help me, even when I was literally on the other side of the world.
John lived life with gusto and joy and I am glad that he was my wonderful neighbor for so many years.
With love,
I am sorry to learn of John’s passing. I enjoyed working with him here at RE/MAX and thought he was a very nice and helpful and hard working man. It was surprising to see him open his doors to some clients who did not have a ready place to stay. I am truly sorry for your loss and regret I will not be able to attend his service. Regards, Joel
Dear Elaine and Family, it was with a great sense of sadness that Susie and I read John’s obituary in the Longmont Times Call this past week. John dearly wanted us to visit you both in Asheville, but we were waiting for Susie to retire, which she will after this current school year.
We will always remember John as a very happy man, with a great sense of humor, a ready smile and a hearty laugh. The picture you chose for his obituary fits this description very well. John loved you Elaine and he loved life. Watching the two of you dance at American Legion Post 32 and other places was to see a picture of happiness and joy. John’s infectious laugh always got us in the spirit to join in and have a wonderful time.
We will always fondly remember John as the kind, gentle man that he was, and for his service to our country. He was a proud U.S. Marine, and the kind of veteran that continued to serve. Although we are sad he is no longer with us, his memory brings a good feeling and his memory will last our lifetime.
Love, Ralph and Susie Bozella
Longmont Colorado
The Flett family in Colorado spent many great moments over the years working, and playing together with Jere and Elaine. Our hearts go out to family and friends who are able to attend any memorial in honor of a great caring friend.
A Highland toast to a good man in the field:
All the best,
Mark Melissa, Megan and Kari Flett
Dear Elaine and family,
I also remember John as someone who had a great sense of humor and a wonderful presence. John had a great ease and energy about him. I enjoyed very much spending time with the two of you in Colorado on the few occasions I got to do so. I offer my condolences to you in your loss.
-Matt Millar
Dear Elaine, although we never met, I know that John loved you and thought you set the moon. Isn’t that wonderful? I hadn’t known him so long, but know a true friend when I meet one. He helped me and my daughter, Amariah, out several times and I always knew I could count on him. I am so sorry for your loss and the pain you must be feeling now. I know how hard it is to lose someone you are so close to. If there is anything I can do to support you, please let me know. I’m sure you have tons of friends to do that, but I want you to know that I would be there for you as well, in honor of John. It makes me sad to pass over his email address in my contacts, knowing I can’t send him any more jokes to make him laugh. It was wonderful to read your entry on this website — to see John through your love and eyes. My heart goes out to you and sends you all good wishes for healing and knowing that all is in Divine order. love and light, skye
Please Elaine, call me if you need me. I am so sorry to hear the bad news. I will do my best to make it to the funeral tomorrow.
Dear Elaine,
We wish we could be with you at the service tomorrow. We will be there in spirit. We will miss John. He was one of those rare ‘effervescent’ people whose spirit filled the room. We will remember him for his great warmth and charm. We were lucky enough to have some very good times with him, sailing the Carribean (which we never would have done without his initiative), dancing (he was so much fun to dance with!), wonderful Christmas parties complete with his gregarious laugh. He was a good friend and advisor to our son, also a Marine. John was a great, warm spirit who loved you, Elaine, so very much. He was a bear hug of a man.
Dear Elaine,
I’m so sorry to hear about John. You have been in my thoughts quite a bit lately, and I’m sure in many others’ as well. Please feel as if we are all holding you close. We are.
Love,
Susan
We did not have the pleasure of knowing John but had a sense of him from your many stories and references, Elaine…and as well from these lovely comments on this site. We are so very sad that his time with you was so tragically cut short. But we are glad that he came into your life when he did.
We are sorry not to with you tomorrow. Know that we are thinking about you. With love and great affection,
Jean and Rob
Well, here I am again. I have tried several times to write this, unsuccessfully I might add. My heart beats along with my tears, I’m finding it very hard to say goodbye.
I know that you will be remembered mostly for your laughter and how you so easily made friends…but there is a special part of you that only a chosen few knew of, and that was your role as a grandfather. You were our Poppa Coppers and I thank you so much for being such a good grandfather to my children. You never failed to call once a week to check on us, you never missed a birthday or any special day for that matter. When we would come up to visit, you and Elaine made sure that all the foods we love to eat were already there in the pantry and refrigerator. We did so many fun things together, you always made sure that each visit was full of adventure.
You also left a legacy through your son, John; he is so much like you (his laugh comes close, but can never be matched). In the thirteen years that I have been married to him, I love him more each and every day. I watched you and Elaine share your love, the way that the two of you would smile when you caught each other’s eye, the tenderness and affection you showed each other I truly believe has taught John and I how to respect love and to truly cherish it the way you and Elaine did.
I love you and I will miss you so much. It is too painful to say goodbye so for now I will just say, ‘I’ll see you later.’
I promise you that your legacy will never die and we will enjoy sharing stories with your great grandchildren about the one and only Poppa Coppers.
Dear Elaine & Family:
John will be sorely missed, but not forgotten. I am a better person for his and your friendship.
I was just recalling when John and I were working in Melbourne, Florida. It was just before Christmas, and we were sitting out on the deck watching all the ships parading past us. The ships were decked out in all fashion of christmas lights. It was a beautiful sight. John turned to me and said, ‘Elaine should be here.’ And, then he laughed that great infectious laugh of his.
Whenever I think of John it will be with a smile, and the memories of a man who lived life full, who loved to dance and did it so well, who laughed easily and without reservation, and who filled a room with cheer.
I am truly sorry I can’t make it to John’s memorial service. My thoughts and love are with you all.
Dear Elaine,
We have spent the last days reminiscing the few occasions we spent with you and John — what a robust sense of humor, wonderful laugh, and what fantastic tales he always had to share. We are saddened by his passing and wish we could be there with you tomorrow to celebrate his life, and mourn his absence. He was a good soul. May your many wonderful memories with him guide you through this difficult time. We are there with you in spirit.
With love and hugs from us both.
Dear Elaine,
It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of your beloved partner, John. Please accept my deepest sympathy and condolences and know that my thoughts are with you during this very difficult time.
Jay
Dear Elaine,
Today I was up in the Baraboo Hills and reminisced of your time staying with in the farm house. We had no electricity at first – a mighty storm had blown through the night before. With all the storms that you must meet, take good care, make your way as gently as you can around the obstacles, and listen for the birds (the loud ones) that sing in spite of it all.
I send my love now and always.
Cathy
What invisible door?
It’s a bookcase!
You’re kidding me? What’s behind there?
I made a room back there. Don’t tell anybody, I don’t think it’s up to code.
Above was one of our first conversations with John as he showed us the secret passage he made at John and Elaine’s condo in Niwot. He graced us then and in Asheville with downhome barbeque and fun conversation, even he did lie about Asheville having no mosquitos. He made us feel at home immediately, and had a special gift for doing so.
Paul especially thanks John because he helped him feel comfortable about spending time with two highly educated women. But, then Elaine turned out to be wonderful too.
Thank you, Elaine and John, for being part of our lives. We are sorry John is gone.
Dearest Elaine,
Please accept our condolences on the passing of John. You are in our thoughts always.
With deepest sympathy,
Sue Kemnitzer and all of your friends at the National Science Foundation
John was good at work, whether painting houses or finessing a real estate deal. He liked to plan a trip, organize a computer, score a good deal, and win a round with a bureaucrat. John was also good at play, and he was game for just about any form of it: skiing, river-rafting, camping, and canoeing; live music, dancing, travel; barbecue and football; the Scottish Highland festival and the firemen’s Fourth of July. His exploits as one of the Blues Brothers and his fancy-dress drag queen impersonations are the stuff of legends. I never knew another man who could work a feather boa like John! He liked a good steak and a couple of beers– who needs vegetables? He liked a good joke and a good story and would tell both on himself. His laugh was resonant, loud, and frequent. He was proud of his military service, his son and grandkids, and the way he’d rigged up his little camper. His smoked meats at the annual Christmas shindig were to die for. He had a talent for finding fishing holes and shortcuts along Colorado back roads. He was curious about people and places; he read a surprising amount of history, and once corrected a geographical mistake in my Christmas letter. He met strangers easily and was soon showing them pictures of his round house in the mountains. When I gave him the Dixie Chicks’ latest album, he was open-minded enough to listen once or twice– but that wasn’t REAL country music. Once the shuttle bus driver at the ski resort joshed him about how John had stylish new skis but Elaine had a pair of 25-year-old planks. Pretty soon Elaine had new skis too.
All these memories outline little portions of the man himself: generous, opinionated, sociable, as loyal to a story as he was to his friends. He was curious about the world and relished its ironies and particularities. He loved his country, his family, and his lady, and he would go to the mat for any of them.
John, it was an honor and a pleasure to know you. We love you and we’ll miss you.
Dear Elaine,
I never met John but I am sure he was a wonderful human being because you loved him. You have been in my thoughts ever since I received this sad news.
Take care
I am the daughter of a good friend of Elaine’s. I met John twice — once in Colorado and once in his Asheville home. Both times his warmth, generosity, and joyful spirit were clearly evident. My thoughts and condolences go out to Elaine, John’s family, and his friends. The world is dimmer without him.
A GENTLE AND KINDMAN WHO WILL BE MISSED BY ALL
Dear Elaine,
Sending our condolences to you and all the family.
It was ‘luck’ that crossed our paths in life. I am so thankful It was you and John that I had the pleasure of working for. You both supported and trusted me with handling your garden and landscaping. I know if it weren’t for you and John ‘believing in me’ my business wouldn’t be where it is today. I will never forget that!
John was a person full of life. I had the pleasure of talking to and spending time with him on more than a few occasions. I was lucky enough to be around when he was preparing some of his legendary steaks on the grill. He had mastered the art. Although I didn’t get to know John as well as I wanted to, I could tell there was something special about him the first time we met. His sense of humor, his great laugh, his appreciation of nature, and his love for his family. He was always a generous host and seemed to love all facets of life. John was a great man with a giant personality. He will be missed, but not forgotten.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family through these hard times. Stay Strong, God Bless
Dear Elaine, Mike and I were heart broken when we heard about John passing. Our hearts go out to you and John’s family. We have you in our prayers. When I think of John I think of his great smile, his hearty laugh and his great sense of humor. He will be missed.
For a copy of Elaine’s eulogy for John, offered at his memorial ceremony on September 10, 2007, please contact her by e-mail at: elaine.seymour@colorado.edu.
Elaine and John’s family would appreciate donations in his name to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 9801-1, Southern Pines Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28273, or to the Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250. Attn: Gift Processing
John,
I was in the field when I heard you had passed away. Thank you for guiding me through my first few years in the Corps. I hope to make you proud. Semper Fi.
Aaron
Dear Elaine and family,
We are so saddened by John’s passing. He is missed and loved by many here in Longmont at the American Legion Post 32 and by the members of The NiteCats band. We send our heartfelt condolences and prayers to you. We have deeply appreciated John’s spirited enthusiasm for people, music,(even our band),dancing and his always generous hospitality. Everyone loved to watch John and Elaine ‘open the dance floor’ as an example for all to enjoy the festivities. It is a great honor to have known John and his ever present sense of humor and kindness. My words cannot seem to adequately describe the spirit of this man that brought joy to a room full of people with his presence and engaging smile. He will live in our memories and in the inspiration that he so easily gave to us.
John & Deb Petersen
and The NiteCats Band
Hello Dear Elaine,
I was so saddened when AB told me about John’s passing. I thought of him dancing at the parties in the sanctuary and I had to get up and do a dance with him in the sanctuary with tears in my eyes. I’ll always remember his hospitality, wonderful barbeques and high laughter. He will be present with me every Christmas and whenever I hear a carol. I thought of the meal in Denver on the patio with the ivy and his chuckles at his own corny jokes. He was an amazingly special man and I was always pleased when I was in his company. He made all around him lighter no matter how down they might have been. I’m so glad he had the chance to live his dream of being in North Carolina in his last years.
I hope you’re holding up well in this difficult time and glad that Anne-Barrie is going to be able to spend time with you. I wish I could see you and give you a long hug. You’re in my thoughts and if there is anything at all I can do to help you with anything now or in the future, please know I’m here. Maybe we can have a get together in honor of John at the church when you’re in town again.
Goodbye John, the next dance is for you.
Dearest Elaine,
I just found out about John and I am so very sorry. Though I met him only several times, I remember him with great fondness. I certainly recall he loved to dance! And I know how much you loved each other. How many people have I heard say he was a good egg! I am so glad you got some good time together, most recently in your Asheville home. I am glad Anne-Barrie and Sandra will be out to spend some time with you. I know the suddenness of this must be incredibly difficult. My thoughts are with you and your family.
I will always remember John dancing and how he made it look so easy.His laugh was contagious. May all find the peace that they need at the time of this loss.
Dear Elaine- I want to send my warmest thoughts your way. I am so sorry for your loss, and I hope you are surrounded by friends and family. I have such fond memories of watching you and John dance with joy at your 60th birthday celebration. I wish you great strength in forging through this journey. All the best. Much love and support, Tracee DeAntoni
Elaine,
Just wanted to let you know that we are thinking of you every day and wish we were there to give you a big group hug! John will be greatly missed. You have our thoughts and love. We would love to hear from you when you are feeling up to it, but in the meantime know that we are there with you in spirit. Love you lots,Mona, Kit ,Jaz and Danni
To my dear cousin Elaine.Finally have time to reflect on my relationship with John.First contact some years ago was when I phoned you and some strange man answered the phone.Who are you I asked and it seems we bonded from that moment and had many good conversations subsequent.
We first met at the Royal Canadian Legion in Fenelon Falls when you came to visit.A true Legionaire as we had to go there everyday while you were here.He could handle more beer than me.
On your visit he took over the barbequeing and the vinyl siding on the house still bares the scars,I’ll tell you about it someday,a lasting memory.
I will truly miss our conversations even his attempts to get me to quit smoking.
Was glad to hear he got the military send off he deserved.On the eve of our Remembrance Day,Nov 11,the R.C.L.in Fenelon Falls holds a Candlelight Tribute to all Veterans who have passed on,where some 600 candles are placed at our cenotaph by Legionaires and local citizens.We will be adding one more this year.
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning
We will remember them.