John MacPherson

1945 - 2021

MacPherson, John
12/16/1945 - 01/02/2021

John MacPherson was born in Washington State and grew up in eastern Kansas. After high school he enlisted in the Navy and served in Vietnam. John moved to Colorado to attend college and never left. He served the Denver Public Schools for 34 years as a much-loved teacher and administrator. John was a long-time member of the the Denver Public Schools Retirement System (DPSRS) Board of Trustees and ultimately served as Interim Executive Director of DPSRS. He played a major role in the eventual merger of DPS's retirement system into the state retirement system (PERA).
John married Cynthia Madsen in1978. They lived in Centennial and raised two sons, Neil and Ian. John married Beth Killebrew in 2001. In retirement John enjoyed volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, The Colorado Trail Foundation, his church, and multiple public pension organizations. He and Beth enjoyed biking, hiking, travel with friends and visits with his sons in California and Spain.
John bravely battled neurological conditions for the last four years of his life and was ultimately diagnosed with Corticobasal Ganglionic Degeneration, considered to be a rare form of Parkinson's. He spent his final months under the care of Denver Hospice, his wife, and his faithful caregiver, Daniel Garcia, and passed away at home with Beth at his side.
John is survived by his wife, Beth Killebrew, his sons, Neil and Ian, daughter-in-law, Irantzu, and granddaughter, Libe, as well as the Kimberlin and Herries families of Kansas. He is also loved and missed by his many friends and his church family, as well as hundreds of educators and retirees throughout the state.
A virtual memorial service is planned for January 23. Details, as well as stories and photos of a life well-lived and a man dearly-missed, can be found on https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/johnmacpherson.