I remember when I was just starting to date my now wife, and she was showing me the Stanford Campus. She arranged to meet up with John and this is when I first met him. He can bolting down the hill in one of the Stanford bikes and parked it while having the biggest smile. He were her "little sib" she said, just a baby in her eyes (only a 3 year difference lol). IDK why, but that moment always stuck! 

Best regards to the family 🙏🏽

7.4.24

To all who loved John Anthony Bolander...

Though we never met, I have had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know just a few of his loved ones.   John may be gone from our sight, but I am confident he will never be forgotten.  May he rest in peace...

Thoughts and prayers, 

Kelly Dockter Dean

i keep thinking about him and what / who killed him. also thinking back to what the preacher said re 'not ever taking anything for granted'. that's some weak tea take home. the real question is how is it that dozens of people ( hundreds? ), including me ( i was his direct report from 2019 through 2021 ) missed the signs. it is especially hard for me cause ive had direct experience with deep depression and worse in the immediate surroundings ... before showing up in California in 2012. his death seems entirely senseless and seems it could have been completely preventable. i am sorry

So sad to hear this news. Jbo was a really lovely person to talk and work with. I remember taking a class with him at university, a statistics class that was required of us both. We had some of the funniest moments together in the office hours of that class which was always Wednesday from 8pm to 10pm run by a TA named Tania. JBo and I were both feeling super overworked at that point in our undergraduate degrees. His can-do attitude though and lovely pinch of realism mixed sarcasm helped us pull through and laugh along the way. I second the other commenter who mentioned how he really mentored and helped other engineering students along their path. He definitely had 10x the real world experience of other engineering students in college and was always happy to share with us. I remember getting down on myself on some math equations I had to solve and Jbo told me that he didn't do any integrals by hand and did them all on his calculator instead. I couldn't believe that since he was wicked smart and was nearly done with his EE degree at that point where integrals are bread and butter in exams. I challenged him to solve a few integrals by hand to which he accepted and spent a good twenty minutes solving them. Sure enough he pulled through and figured it out. I was always impressed that in many situations where I would give up due to frustration or annoyance JBo would believe in himself and carry on to the finish. I think you could see that in how much work he was able to put into the stanford solar car project despite having tons of work for different classes. I unfortunately lost touch after college but was always following his career with pride and was impressed he was able to move around different job roles. Sad to hear such a genuine soul who was looking to improve the planet rather than enrich himself has passed. I hope we can pass on his wisdom collectively to further generations.

I’m so grateful that JBo was in the group I got to know from my freshman year at Stanford. He is part of so many happy memories, like hall meetings, birthday parties,  social dances, football games (like the one pictured), our dorm’s ridiculous water fights. And those happy memories continued after college, from when we both traveled to India for our friend’s wedding to when I saw him at the last reunion – I’m so glad I was able to catch up with him then. He was always there for our friend group, and always inspired me with how driven he was about things he cared about.

You’ll be misses, JBo; rest in peace.

Hey John, I'm really sorry I never got to tell you that when I was a freshmen, you were one of my biggest inspirations in engineering and I really looked up to you. You were one of the first people to teach me circuits and I remember flailing around on Altium while you patiently explained me how it worked; that influence really jump-started my interest in engineering and that nudge really had a huge impact on my life.

I regret not telling you this more, but I hope you knew you had this impact in not just me, but in the countless people you have touched in your life.

My husband Matt met John at Tesla. I met John when he visited Japan in summer 2018. He stayed at my flat in Tokyo and somehow successfully persuaded to climb Mt. Fuji together. I'm so glad he did and we all had a wonderful weekend. John was so kind to find a good scenic route and kept us entertained with lots of laughs and fun conversations. Then John kindly came to our wedding in Italy. John, another friend and I had a nice chat over lunch. Another lovely memory of a conversation with John full of intellectual curiosity, driven with a mission, calm, fun and kind. I promise that I'll give a toast to him on every mountain I climb in the future. 

Jbo, I was looking over our last saved  messages from 2018, because I was thinking about what our last conversations might have been about… I can hardly remember the specifics, but I know the conversation was vulnerable, real, and humorous because you always brought that out in people. We might have chatted about your new job, my existential crises, or maybe our respective dating struggles. I’m sure we both walked away with some appreciation for this unlikely friendship born out of a random encounter in the halls of FroSoCo. 

You’ll be dearly missed, Jbo. Thanks for always being a great friend. 

John and I met in 2005 at the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge in DC. Even back then he seemed like a special soul. He was passionate, curious, and kind. We were not in touch in recent years but in the years after we first met, he would email me updates about his life, specifically the successes and failures of his latest science fair projects. The world lost a great person. I’m so lucky to have crossed paths with John.  

John you will be missed. Farewell friend. 

Sending love and light to all that John touched in his life as they process his passing. John was one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met. His work to build a better world sets a standard we should all aspire to meet. His sense of adventure and kindness is something I wish more people possessed. 

One summer, as the Louisville high school friend group was hanging out one last time before we all returned to campus for the academic year, I got sick. I had just had my wisdom teeth removed and   couldn’t drive home because of the medication- John took me home - and it was easily an hour and a half out of his way - minimum! Just one example of him always going above and beyond.

Oh Al, I am so sorry for your loss! You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Grew up with John. We even went to prom together as friends.   Here he is holding my daughter when we visited Cali.  So brilliant and kind. Honest and respectful.   He will be so missed. 

My deepest condolences to Al, and the entire family and circle of friends.

One of my favorite memories of John (JBo) is of him climbing up the pipes to his second floor room to win a dorm game. From silly hall conversations and water balloon fights, to helping me prepare for interviews and being there at my wedding, JBo was always a great friend. He worked hard, was incredibly kind, and I am so honored to have had a friend like him. Rest In Peace, JBo.

John (or JBo as I called him) will always hold a huge place in my college memories and was part of so many of my happiest moments at Stanford. 

I met JBo the first week of freshman year. We lived down the hall from each other and he quickly became an indispensable part of S2 (our dorm; picture is of our last hall hug of the year). I swear he lived on an impossibly small amount of sleep - but because of that we could always find him working away and (usually) convince him to join a conversation, grab food, go on a random adventure, or be a sounding board for anything big or small at any hour. No matter how sleep-deprived or stressed, he was always willing to listen and help, showing up for others when they needed it most despite his own busy schedule. Our S2 friend group managed to remain close all four years and JBo was a key piece keeping us together.

He was such a bright, caring, passionate, driven, and funny person. He made the lives of everyone around him better and brighter.  You will be sorely missed, JBo. Rest in peace.  


I met John as a new EE student who was looking to join the Stanford Solar Car team. I was so lost at first but John (I called him JBo - not sure if others did) patiently guided me through the work. A quarter or so after that he also joined my dance team, Common Origins while having no hiphop experience and he did so so well in the shows we did that quarter. JBo always put a smile on my face and reminded me to never take things too seriously. I’m glad we got to climb together in SF after graduation - the last time we ever got to see each other. Will miss you, bud.

John was such a joy to be around. He brought so much laughter and happiness. I always loved hearing about his weekend adventures over coffee in the morning while he ate his cereal . He will be very missed 🖤 Rest in peace John. 

Hearing the news was so incredibly heartbreaking. John, you were an incredible person. Your laughter was contagious and your smile always made me smile even bigger. We shared so many adventures together in the Bay and I wish there were more to be had. You will forever remain in our memories, rest peacefully dear friend. 

I'm so saddened to hear of this tragic loss - shocked and numb, to be honest. John was a brilliant light and the world will be a darker place without him in it. My thoughts are with all who loved him and treasured his friendship, brilliance, dedication, and incredible contributions to make this world a better place.

Sending love and compassion on the passing of Al - May he rest in peace and know that his life mattered.  Mari Pat Varga

OBITUARY

John Anthony Bolander

1 March, 1991 – 4 July, 2023

Kraft Funeral Service & Kraft-Graceland Memorial Park

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