John F. Wilhelm

1943 - 2023

John F. Wilhelm
November 27, 1943 - August 2, 2023
John F. Wilhelm passed away quietly on Tuesday, August 2nd ,2023 in Tiburon, CA surrounded by loved ones after enjoying 79 larger-than-life years.
John was born in Joliet, Illinois on November 27th, 1943 to parents, Jakob Andreas Andrew Wilhelm of Mitterode, Germany and Mary Elizabeth Kuhnert of Elm Springs, Arkansas. He studied at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois earning a M.S. degree in marketing and biology, graduating in 1965.
Upon graduation from SIU, he spent a summer in Japan, participating in a homestay program located on the island of Shikoku, living with a host family in Takamatsu City. This trip would prove to be a life-changing event for him.
John returned home to Chicago and worked in sales for Kemper Insurance and Alcoa Aluminum, but impacted by his positive experience in Japan, he eventually decided to pursue a career in the field of cultural exchange.
After gaining years of experience in this arena, Mr. Wilhelm, and one of his business partners, Takeshi Yokota, founded two new exchange organizations. International Training & Exchange (INTRAX), and AYUSA International, a non-profit company providing academic homestay programs in the United States. Over the years, both INTRAX and AYUSA have established themselves as the major providers of cultural exchange experiences.
Each year INTRAX provides educational and cultural programs for more than 30,000 participants and employs more than 1,200 full and part-time staff. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and has its own offices in 15 countries, and partner relationships in over 60 countries.
John's distinguished legacy will undoubtedly endure through the profound influence and impact he had on so many lives.
Everyone who knew John felt his big heart and giving nature. He quietly gave generously and whole-heartedly to a multitude of causes. From homelessness and hunger to the environment and conservation, John was dedicated to improving the world we live in and made that his life's purpose.
There is nothing John loved more than the outdoors. With his innate desire for wanderlust, John made it his mission to not only explore the United States, but the world. His travels were legendary taking him to countries such as Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Russia and Argentina and many more to indulge in bird hunting, fly fishing and big game drives, just a few of his many outdoor passions. Over the years, John shared these adventures with his many beloved friends and canine companions.
John is survived by his long-term partner Tora Dell Isi and her daughters, Barbra Penaflor (husband Art and sons Micao and Mitchell) and Cindi Paines (husband Matt), older brother Herman Ernest Wilhelm and nieces, Kimberly Marie DesJardine (husband Keith) and Jill Corniels Knight. He was cherished by his great nieces, Madeleine Bruce, Mason Bruce and Dana Knight, as well as his nephew Nathan Knight and countless other colleagues and dear friends.
He is preceded in death by his father Jakob Andreas Andrew Wilhelm who died August 11th, 1958, his mother, Mary Elizabeth Kuhnert, who died in 1968 and younger sister Kathleen Ann who passed in 2003.
In keeping with John's love of adventure and the outdoors, John's ashes will be scattered at his favorite place in the world, the Snake River in Jackson, Wyoming in the shadow of the Grand Tetons.
A private "Celebration of Life" for family and friends is planned at his beloved sporting club, The Wing and Barrel Ranch in Sonoma, CA.
Memorials in honor of John Wilhelm may be given to the California Waterfowl Association, one of the many charities he supported.