John Alfred Ribar

John Alfred Ribar died Wednesday, September 6th, 2023, at home surrounded by his family in Windsor, Colorado, following a slow decline in health due to heart complications. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Crystal (Palmer) Ribar; daughter, Theresa Ribar; son, Joseph Z. Ribar and his wife Tracy; granddaughters, Eloise, Adeline, and Matilda Ribar; siblings, Frank Farkas, Janet Gordon, Patt Long, and Richard Ribar; and many additional, extended family members. He was preceded in death by his father, John J. Ribar; his mother, Joann (O’Malley) Ribar; and brother, George Ribar. John was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 16th, 1947. Shortly afterwards his family settled in Valley City, Ohio, where he created chaos until his graduation from Buckeye High School in 1966. He proudly served as an Advanced Missile Electronics Technician at the Air Force Weapons Lab at Kirtland AFB, NM. While living in Albuquerque, he was introduced to Crystal Palmer, and they were married in 1971 and lived in Pontiac, MI after his military discharge. Always willing to learn new skills and tackle new challenges, he wore many career hats: HVAC as a teenager, developing safety equipment for elevators, and owning a water well drilling business in the Southern Arizona desert. He eventually found his career niche as an Electrical Power Dispatcher for Western Area Power Administration, in Watertown, SD and then in Loveland, CO. He later transferred to Southwest Power Administration in Springfield, MO, and retired as a training coordinator after 25 years of government service. In his free time, he enjoyed woodworking, especially projects for his granddaughters; Jeeping in the Colorado mountains; and tinkering on anything that was broken for anyone that needed help. John cared deeply for the people that came into his life, and sharing the Gospel of Christ and the salvation it freely offers was dear to his heart. He often proclaimed, with his unique sense of humor, that if you “read the Bible, it will scare the hell out of you!” A special thank you to our care team from Pathways Hospice, to Dementia Together, and all our friends who came alongside us on our caregiving journey. A celebration of life will be held later this year in Windsor, Colorado.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.allnuttftcollins.com for the Ribar family.