John Wilshusen

John Arthur Wilshusen, 77, of Paso Robles passed away Sunday, Aug. 3, 2003, in American Falls, Idaho.

A gathering will take place at 2 p.m. Friday, at the Rose Garden in Paso Robles, where his remains will be placed. His father George, mother Lena Wilshusen Cully and his stepfather Joseph A. Cully are there, plus other relatives. (Revelation 21:3-5) A memorial talk will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, at Kingdom Hall, 6200 Santa Ynez, in Atascadero.

John was known as "The Master Builder" with stone, brick, wood and metal. He had been living in Idaho near his oldest son, Jorge, who took such good care of him in his final illnesses.

John was born January 17, 1926 in Garden City, Kan., to George and Lena Wilshusen. He moved to California in his early years but returned to Garden City to take care of his grandfather John Halpieu, the village blacksmith, for his grandmother and Aunt Nell, who needed a strong hand. He stayed there until his grandfather died. All three were of the anointed. He had two brothers, Marlin and Larry.

John married Alice in 1946 and they had four children, Joyce, Jorge, Judy and James. There are five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was active as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in his early life and served in Mont., Wash., Okla. and Calif., where the need was great. His secular work consisted of building beautiful buildings. His stonework is recognized from Los Angeles, where he built for the Hollywood star Robert Taylor, to the Bay Area where he worked on Shannon Drive. He was well known for his work in Santa Barbara, Visalia, Atascadero and Paso Robles. His work is most prominently displayed at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. One of his well-known works was a building in Atascadero where a set of footprints go up a wall and across the entrance. This has puzzled people for years, who

asked how it was done. He found satisfaction in his construction trade by helping to build kingdom halls of Jehovah's Witnesses in quite a few cities.

John was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, often referred to as a chemical imbalance, when he moved to Idaho. He was plagued with this for most of his middle years. Life was not easy for him and his family did not expect to see a change after this. He was blessed to get on a program that worked for him, getting both his mind and spirituality back in balance. It was like the "prodigal son" who returned. His family and friends are happy to see him finish his life with dignity.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that John be remembered by donations to Worldwide Work of Jehovah's Witnesses, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483.

This remembrance was written by John's family and friends.