John F. Dillon III

John F. Dillon III

1938-2024

Salt Lake City, UT-Having lived a life rich with friends, laughter, and accomplishment, John passed away peacefully Friday, January 19, at his home in Salt Lake City with family by his side. John was the only child of Emma and John Dillon, Jr., and was born on the high plains of Grafton, North Dakota. He grew up in the nearby small town of Park River. After graduating Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering at the University of North Dakota with an ROTC scholarship, he completed Meteorology studies at the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1961 at the University of Chicago. It was there on a blind date that John met Susan Schorr and they soon married. Susan and John were married for over thirty years and had three sons, John IV, David, and James. As a 1st Lt. Air Force Meteorologist stationed at Fort Devens, MA, he acquired a lifelong fascination with air travel. In 1963, he began work at the Trane Company in Des Moines, IA, where he sold HVAC products and trained contractors for four years. By 1969, he had used his sales commissions to attain a Masters of Business Administration at Harvard University. Later that year, with two sons he and Susan drove from Boston to Salt Lake in their Volkswagen Beetle so that John could begin his role as Operations Manager at Climate Control, the HVAC company. In 1976, he became company President and five years later renamed it CCI Mechanical, as it is known today. Under his guidance and with help from reliable partners, CCI became a prominent commercial HVAC company, contributing to projects such as the Delta Center and American Stores Headquarters (now Wells Fargo Center), and today is a Fortune 500 company subsidiary. In 1984, John served as President of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America. After 33 years at CCI, he retired. He was married to Travis McNair from 2010-2014. He enjoyed being a longtime board member of WCM Industries, board member of the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, and member of the following: Salt Lake Rotary Club, YPO (Young Presidents' Organization), Alta Club, Salt Lake Swimming and Tennis Club, Ambassador Duck Club, Salt Lake Country Club, and founder of the Pine Springs Investment Club.

John believed in education, taking risks, and persistence. While enamored with airplanes and road trips, he never lost sight of his roots. He was generous to the less fortunate and an ardent supporter of the Salvation Army. He liked to bet on the underdog and his handshake was true. John especially enjoyed being with his friends and family, playing tennis, running (three marathons and many half marathons), pheasant hunting and fishing trips, bird dogs, spending time and hosting parties at his cabin on the Upper Provo River, a hot craps table, and visiting the Trygg family farm. Reading James Lee Burke novels and daily newspapers were simple pleasures. Often he could be heard telling jokes or exclaiming, "deal, cried the loser!", "stay out of the ditch!", and "you can't hit the ball if you don't swing the bat!" or other old parables. He is survived by sons John (Hester) of Dillon MT, Dave (Thale) of Missoula MT, Jim of Salt Lake City UT, Susan of Salt Lake City, grandsons Luke and Mats, granddaughter Annika, and cousin John Trygg (Judi) of Bismarck ND.

The Dillons are grateful for friends' love, prayers, and support to John, and for Ou and Vai, Active Hospice, and other caregivers' help. A gathering to celebrate John's life has been planned for Friday, March 8, from noon to 2pm in Salt Lake City.