John G Konen

John was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, uncle, in-law and an exceptional friend. He always had time to lend a hand, listen to someone’s concerns, or offer his wisdom to a friend in need. He never was one to ask for help, but always gave it to others.

He leaves behind his beloved family: his wife of nearly 50 years, Nancy, sons Steven (Becca) and Dennis (Morgan), grandchildren Ryan, Aralynn, Kensington, Kennedy and Campbell. John loved his two sons more than they could know and tried to raise them the best way he knew how. The grandchildren they provided to him, were an immense joy to his heart.

He also leaves his sister Anne Tencza (John), and In-laws Michael (Renee) Garavaglia, Roberta (Jim) Fantin, and Angela (Greg) VanHazenbrouck as well as many nephews and nieces and many wonderful friends, especially Pete and Judy Stauch and Larry Krzesowski.

John was preceded in death by his sister Jean and her husband Stanley Beaumont and his niece Mary Ann Tencza. He was also preceded by the deaths of his Golden Retrievers, all named Star. He loved his dogs and they loved him.

John’s life begins in Wisconsin, born February 23, 1947, the 3rd child to John and Marie Konieczny. He proudly served in the United States Navy and Naval Reserves as a Petty Officer 2nd Class. John graduated from Michigan Technical University as an Electrical Engineer. John was a brilliant man with an extremely analytical mind. Those fine qualities aided him in earning the engineering designation of Registered Professional Engineer. A professional designation difficult for most engineers to obtain.

John worked for Detroit Edison while living in Michigan. Later in his career the family moved to Colorado where John accepted a position with Raytheon Corporation. Toward the end of his career, he worked for the National Science Foundation in a very interesting capacity. John had multiple assignments in Antarctica upgrading the radar system and electrical equipment. He spent many days on the ice at McMurdo Station in a fascinating environment only few can claim to have done.

He met his wife, Nancy, at a Detroit Edison ski club meeting, and the rest was history. Six months later they were married. John and Nancy would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June, 2024.

John was a very spiritual man. He was a devoted Catholic attending church weekly to give thanks for all that was blessed upon him. As a leader in his church group, he organized monthly cancer novenas to pray for those in need of healing.

Family vacations with John consisted of everyone piling into the RV and hitting the open road to explore the western United States with the yearly drive to Michigan to visit family. John and Nancy were part of an RV club where they made many friendships camping with people of similar likes of the outdoor experience.

John was a leader in many respects in both business and personal. On the personal side, John organized and maintained a family tree structure spanning many families all related by blood and marriage. It was quite extensive and it was his gift to preserve for family, a remembrance from where they came. John purchased a CNC machine as a business/hobby interest. He joined a CNC Club and in true John spirit he quickly became the most knowledgeable of the group, the most helpful and of course a leader. John also donated his time to his homeowner’s association serving as President. A selfless act of contributing his time to make his community better.

If you ever needed help in any way, all you needed do is ask John for help and he was there for you.

He will definitely be missed.