John William Egly

1954 - 2025

EGLY, John William
Dec 21, 1954 - Sep 21, 2025
John William Egly, age 70, passed away in September following more than a yearlong bout with kidney cancer. His loving wife of 17 years, Julie Egly, was a constant support for him throughout his medical ordeal, and he is now able to rest in peace.
John was born in Seattle in 1954 to Jim and Molly Egly, graduated from Washington State University in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, and lived most of his life in Spokane, WA, where he raised his 3 sons, David, James, & Thomas Egly with his ex-wife, Jenny Rose. He worked for many years in food distribution to restaurants before switching to insurance, retiring in January 2020. He lived the last few years of his life in Yuma, AZ.
A lifelong sports fan, John's favorite teams were the WSU Cougars, Gonzaga Bulldogs, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Mariners, and Seattle SuperSonics. He successfully handed down his passion for sports and these teams to his sons and grandchildren. A passionate youth basketball coach, Dad's unending love for both his children and these games shined bright while manning the sidelines or cheering them on in the stands. Referees everywhere are now breathing a sigh of relief.
With a fun sense of humor mixed with a realistic outlook on life, John cared about equality for all and doing the right thing in the right situation. He never hesitated to sacrifice for his children throughout their childhoods, and mixed conversation topics of politics, philosophy, and religion with sports, history, and how to live everyday life. His thunderous laugh will be sorely missed.
John is survived by his wife, Julie Egly, sister Elizabeth Evans (David Cross), brothers Paul Egly (Kathie Trudelle) and Bruce Egly, and children David Egly (Kendra), James Egly (April), and Thomas Egly (Meghan Maier) and step-sons Joshua Smith and Jason Smith. Papa John is also survived by 6 grandchildren: Kean, Penelope, Lewis, William, Ophelia, and Sean.
John was a believer and is now with our Lord. Although John is no longer physically with us, he lives on in the values, lessons, and love that he passed on to so many of us. Let us carry forth his spirit and passion in our lives and in our hearts.