John Irelan Obituary

John Irelan died peacefully in the early hours Sunday, January 26. He was 94 years old.
John Clayton was born 4 August, 1930 in Hitchcock County, Nebraska. He was the second child and first son of Marion Irelan and Elva Stevens Irelan. He spent his childhood in little towns in eastern Colorado and Nebraska as he followed his father's job with Burlington Northern Railroad. He graduated from high school in 1947 in Oxford, Nebraska, and then began attending Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln. As the Korean War loomed, John left school to enlist in the US Air Force where he flew surveillance missions out of Thule, Greenland, keeping an eye out for Soviet aggression over the pole. After the service and back at Wesleyan, he met and married Phi Tau "Sweetheart" Barbara Ziggafoos from Grand Island, NE, and they began a 67-year life together full of love and laughter (except maybe that time when John brought home a pregnant mare without consulting Barb).
John worked for 34 years as executive for Chambers of Commerce and municipal economic development NGOs in Nebraska, Iowa, Montana, and Oregon, earning the top honor of Oregon Chamber Executive of the Year in 1992. Over the years, he served as President or Executive Committee member of many professional associations. While in Iowa, John and Barb had four children-Bob, Sue, Becky, and Jen. With his family, John indulged in his lifelong interests in bird watching and hiking and backpacking. One of his proudest achievements was his service as a Scoutmaster for 7 years, bringing 6 boys through the ranks to Eagle Scout. In Montana and Oregon, John found time to enjoy riding horses and bikes and painting watercolor landscapes. These activities, as well as staying involved in Rotary (for 60+ years) and the Methodist church (lifelong), kept him busy.
Retirement didn't slow John down at all, as he and Barb jumped at the opportunity to travel internationally as volunteers for the Citizen's Democracy Corps and International Executive Service Corps where they worked on small business development efforts in post-Soviet Romania and post-independence Namibia. After relocating to Loveland, John also volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, Friends of the Library, the Governor's Art Show, 5 Ms at First United Methodist Church, and the Larimer County Democratic party. In his later years, John stayed physically and mentally active, such as climbing Deer Mountain trail on his 90th birthday and leading his Wednesday morning men's book discussion group. He always found his greatest joys in family. Whether it was when researching genealogy, reliving tales with the folks out in Nebraska, or listening to his grandkids' stories, he knew he had been blessed to marry the love of his life and to spend every day of his very long life with her and the family they made.
John was preceded in death by his siblings, Marian May Welsch and Donald Irelan, and close cousin Bonnie Lee Fish. He is survived by his wife Barb, his four children Bob (Fairfax, VA), Sue (Lake Tahoe, CA), Becky (Eureka, CA) and Jen (Loveland, CO) and four grandchildren Tess, Jackson, Bailey and Kristen.
A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church, Loveland, on Sunday 23 February at 2 pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be offered to Habitat for Humanity or First United Methodist Church.