John was born in Pakistan and immigrated to the US in 1957 to study mechanical engineering at Purdue. He went on to earn master’s degrees from the Universities of Kentucky and Cincinnati. John spent the early & middle parts of his career in the auto and aerospace industries, moving from engineering roles into management. In later stages he held management and ownership positions with several small businesses.

While at Purdue, John met the family of Elta & Adrian Marks and connected so well that he became like a new older brother for Pam, Lynn, Bob and Lexi. In 1985, John and his own family- wife, Jean, and young sons, Jevon & Jaffer – followed some of the Marks family out west and settled on Mercer Island. John & Jean raised their boys together in the MI community and saw them both graduate from MIHS and leave home for the University of Washington. After Jean passed away in 1998, John stayed on Mercer Island while his sons settled in Seattle.

Throughout his life, John devoted himself to physical fitness. In his 20’s & 30’s, he swam competitively at a high level and excelled in distance races. John continued to exercise six days a week for his entire life, with swimming always a favorite workout. In his later years, John was a familiar sight to north-end MI residents as he passed by on one of his frequent long walks. On April 11th John collapsed while swimming and passed away peacefully two days later. We are thankful that his life ended doing what he loved. May he rest in peace.

A memorial for John will be held at 2pm on April 29 at Mercer Island’s Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.