John Bergstrand

John Bergstrand, 64, a resident of Falcon, Co., since September 2021, passed away Dec. 5, 2023, after a battle with cancer
John was born to Harry and Akiko Bergstrand on July7, 1959 at what was then the U.S. Air Force base at Tachikawa in Greater Tokyo, Japan. He spent his early years in Japan, Maine and France – wherever his father was stationed - and in 1966 the Bergstrand family settled down in Port Hueneme, CA., where John spent the rest of his school years.
He met his soulmate, Coleen (O'Dell) in 1988 and they were married in 1990 and moved to Ventura, CA, where the couple lived for 30 years.
John was a quality inspector at Haas Automation, where he became a huge fan of Formula 1 and NASCAR racing thanks to Hass' sponsorship of the Hass F1 Team and NASCAR Cup champion Stewart-Haas Racing. While John never raced cars, he was an avid motorcyclist and loved riding his Harley-Davidson in the hills and along the beaches of Ventura County.
John was a talented amateur artist, a devoted uncle, a gifted story teller, a master of the grill and a man who was always there to lend a hand when help was needed.
After retiring in 2021, John and Coleen moved to Falcon and he enrolled at Charis Bible College, where he received an Associate of Arts degree and became a licensed minister in Colorado. John was just beginning a third year at Charis in the Creative Arts department when he became ill.
John is survived by Coleen, his wife of 33 years, by his brothers Joseph and James (Allison), his sisters Joy Taylor (Tom), Joan, June Halper (Ron), Julie Gonyea (Pat) and Johanna, his brother- in-law John (Lynn), his 2 sisters in-law Teri (Ross) and Mary (Dave) as well as by five nieces, five nephews, a grandniece and a grandnephew.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Akiko, his father, Harry, and a sister, Jane.
And yes, John and his eight siblings really do all have names that begin with the letter "J". They suggested when she met the family that Coleen change her name to "Joleen," but she declined.
A memorial service for John will be held on Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. at:
The CORE
5450 Meridian Rd.
Peyton, CO. 80831.
Coleen has asked that those attending please wear blue as that was John's favorite color.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care, 2550 Tenderfoot Hill St., Colorado Springs, CO. 80906