John C Carroll

John "Jack" Cornelius Carroll passed away on April 24, 2025 after a brief illness. John was born in suburban Philadelphia on October 29, 1945, the son of Francis and Kathleen Carroll. He attended grade and high school in Philadelphia until the family moved to Detroit. John graduated from Notre Dame in 1967.

After serving as an officer in Vietnam, John arrived in San Diego to study photography, a skill that led to a lifelong series of stunning images. He eventually moved to San Francisco to manage a print gallery on Geary Street.
Echoing the ways of the Merry Pranksters, he enjoyed all the facets of San Francisco through the 70s with a close-knit group of friends and in 1974, married San Francisco native Carol Niehoff.

Attracted to the new field of digital technology, John took management positions in banks and other service businesses, eventually landing a position in Saudi Arabia with Bechtel Corporation. John treasured his time overseas, which sparked a lifelong love for international adventure.

Returning to the US, John earned his Master's degree at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix. He took a position in Boston working for the Commonwealth, but realized he couldn't warm up to either the New England weather or the people. And so, it was off to Tucson and a new start. There John fell in love with the Catalina Mountains, living the cabin life first in Willow Canyon and later in Summerhaven.

He enjoyed his time working with the Tucson firm Lightning Location and Protection. On one assignment, he worked with the Russian Federal Agency for Forestry, determining appropriate locations for lighting detectors in their vast forests. He loved recalling cruising the famous Lake Baikal, the world's deepest at 5,387 feet, while eating pizza. Lightning Location and Protection also gave him his fifteen minutes of fame, appearing on NBC's The Today Show: ever the accomplished actor, John was asked to pretend to type as a voiceover described the company's work.

Always service-oriented, John thoroughly enjoyed his volunteer time with the Southern Arizona Rescue Association (SARA). His heart was happy helping people in need; his desire for organization was satisfied every time he packed the car for a call, and his imagination was fueled by every new adventure into the unknown. If he had been given the opportunity, John would have thanked his fellow SARA members for their excellent training, camaraderie, and support.

John ended his career living and working for several years at Texas A&M in information security related to international research. Typical of John-who was once described as a cross between a border collie and a Boy Scout-he loved his team and his job so much that he stayed on long past typical retirement age. His retirement dream was to visit every national park in the US, and he was on that journey when he died.

John is survived by his sister Kay Durkin, her husband Jim, nephew Jim Durkin, and former wife Carol Niehoff. He will be remembered for his warm, cheerful personality, his beautiful writing skills, his strong work ethic, and his love of laughter. May his spirit happily wander the desert wilds.