A LIFE BLESSED

A life characterized by deep love, committed service, creative adventures and quiet strength has come to its close.

John Carlson was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, where his parents were serving as missionaries. The family returned to Canada during his childhood. He attended high school in New Westminster before pursuing post-secondary studies at Briercrest Bible School, Trinity Western College, and ultimately the University of British Columbia, where he earned his teaching degree.

John began his teaching career in Nelson, B.C., where he became well known as a dedicated track and cross-country coach. It was there he met and married the love of his life, Elisa. They moved to the lower mainland, so Elisa could complete her teaching degree, masters’ and doctorate. During this time, the two pursued many adventures, hiking the West Coast Trail, canoeing the Bowron Lakes, and kayaking the Broken Group Islands.

After over a decade of escapades they began a family and their exploits continued with four boys in tow, frequently travelling to California and Utah to walk, hike, run, bike, in-line skate and mountain bike. John would often find historical fiction appropriate to their travels and stuff the car doors with these books for the boys to read on their journeys. If it was not reading, it was board games, Lego building and outdoor exploration. The most memorable trips included driving across Canada to Newfoundland and camping to the tip of the Baja peninsula in Mexico.

When he wasn’t looking after the family, John was an avid reader, following football, hockey and soccer commentaries, enjoying historical books, reading current events or news and mysteries. A lifelong layman scholar, John was fascinated by historical study and our understanding of the texts that shape our lives. He studied the book of Joseph intently, writing a paper outlining his literary exegesis. The ultimate historian, he kept scrupulous notes on events, people and places, often diarizing these in a journal or jotting them down on the backs of receipts and papers. He enjoyed playing strategy games with the boys, especially Rook. He went for frequent walks with his wife on both the Houston and Edge Farm trails.

Most of all, John was a devoted husband and father, dedicating his time as the primary caregiver and raising all four boys: Elliott, Ethan, Elijah and Ellis. He ran the household, shopping for groceries, doing the laundry, washing the dishes and juggling the boys to and from practices for soccer, basketball, track & field, cross-country, mountain biking along with speech debates and political meetings. His schedule was always full.

In his later years, John had the opportunity to see his first-born Elliott married, gain a daughter-in-law, and enjoy a visit to Kazakhstan for the wedding reception as well as travel to Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the spring before his father passed, Ethan organized a trip to Portugal, Spain, Morocco, and the UK (Gibraltar) for both his parents where John’s highlight included hiking Portugal’s Berlengas Island and Spain’s Caminito del Rey, dubbed “the world’s most dangerous trail.” John also flew to Toronto to watch Elijah receive his bachelor’s degree and spend a day enjoying Niagara Falls. As well, John hoped to take a trip to France with his youngest son Ellis as an interpreter, but time simply escaped him.

In his final days, John fell ill with a lengthy flu, suffered a silent heart attack and died on July 1st, 2025. John will be deeply missed by his wife Elisa, their sons (and daughter-in-law), and his five siblings: David, Ruth, Paul, Marion, and Elizabeth.

Most of all, John will be remembered for his deep devotion to his children, his enduring love for his wife, and above all, his steadfast faith in his Savior, Jesus Christ—the keeper of his soul.