John Lawrence Overholser

1951 - 2023

John Lawrence Overholser passed away with family by his side on Thursday, November 2, 2023 at the age of 72, following recent heart surgery and a four-year battle with the autoimmune disorder GPA. John will be missed immensely by his family and friends and has left his positive impression in the Corvallis, Albany, and Astoria area communities.

John was born to James and Jean Overholser in Dallas, Oregon on May 24, 1951. His family lived in Falls City on what they jokingly called "The Doggie Ranch." He was the youngest of four children, including half-sister Betty Jean, and sisters Joyce and Judy. His family moved to Corvallis in 1954, where he graduated from Corvallis High School in 1969. In high school, he wrote a student column in the Corvallis Gazette-Times, was a drum major in the marching band, and started the CHS sailing club. John studied sociology at the University of Oregon and traveled across Europe for his major. As a conscientious objector at U of O, he worked in construction building low-income housing.

In January 1971, John married Sally Palmer, who he'd known since junior high school. They farmed, grew produce, and ran the Van Buren Street Café. John and Sally's daughter Jennifer was born on John's 24th birthday on May 24, 1975 during a full lunar eclipse, which has always been a special father-daughter bond for them. John and Sally divorced in 1979.

John was inspired by his uncle Richard and learned to fly small planes. He was a mechanic for Marys Peak Aviation in Corvallis and Horizon Air in Portland. After marrying Joyce Hunt in 1986, John became a pilot for Horizon. They moved to Sandy and their son Nathan was born on October 3, 1988. John and Joyce were charter members of the Experimental Aircraft Association in Troutdale and built a small plane.

After John retired from Horizon Air, his family moved to Seaside. John and Joyce divorced in 1999 and within a couple years he began working for the Port of Astoria, and eventually took over Astoria Flight Services and the Runway Café at the Warrenton-Astoria Regional Airport. He shared stories about the people he met at the airport like the "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, Bill Clinton, and about Harrison Ford flying in after hearing the burgers were good. John was the airport manager from 2009 to 2013 and worked to start Seaport Airlines, which provided service between Astoria and Portland until 2011.

John loved boats and sailing and owned his parents' sailboat Harmony for many years, housing her on Sauvie Island near Portland. After selling Harmony, John bought a 1930 motorized US Army yacht he called Feather, which he remodeled and built a dinghy for. He loved woodworking from a young age and made a sailboat in high school, a cradle for his daughter, a spinning wheel, hope chests, and wooden boxes that he gave to friends and family. John returned to boatbuilding in 2020 and made a small rowboat with a beautiful set of oars.

After his time in Astoria, health setbacks brought him home to Corvallis, where he spent time recovering with his sister Judy and lived closer to his daughter and son. When faced with challenges, he worked to regain strength, joined a cycling group, walked in McDonald Forest, played disc golf, took up photography, learned to identify birds, began working as a printer technician, and taught his daughter to drive. John loved classical music, The Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, and Crazy 8's. He enjoyed writing stories and poems and playing Scrabble and Yahtzee with his family. John will be remembered for his wisdom, dry sarcasm, deep laugh, warmth, calmness, and depth of caring for family, friends, community, and belief in making a difference in the world. One of John's favorite phrases was "an elephant never forgets." An elephant never forgets a father, brother, uncle, son, cousin, nephew, and friend this special.

John's spirituality, love of community, activism, and belief in pacifism led him to join the Albany Mennonite Church, where he was baptized in May 2023. The members of the church have shown him caring and support and became an extended family. John's family is suggesting donations in his name to the Albany Mennonite Church and Chintimini Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. The family is planning a small service for close family and friends in the spring.

John was preceded in death by his father James L. Overholser, mother Jean Overholser Roland, stepfather Richard B. Roland, and sister Joyce Boles. John is survived by his daughter Jennifer Overholser, 48, of Albany, son Nathan Overholser, 35, of Portland, sisters Betty Jean Graff and Judy Westlake, nieces Marie Elbert Opsahl, Laura Tripi, Diana Hazel and their families, and nephew John Elbert.