John Rees, age 75, of Prior Lake and formerly of the Marysville, OH area, died peacefully on March 10, 2024 at his home surrounded by his loving family following his battle with Pancreatic Cancer.
John was born in Columbus, OH. He was raised in the Metro Area of Union County known as Irwin, OH, and graduated from Fairbanks High School. After High School, he graduated from Ohio University, and later attended Xavier University pursuing an MBA.
John worked for several companies during his career all over the US in Senior Marketing, Advertising, New Product Development, and Sales positions. He enjoyed the experiences, but hated the Cube City and Confinement of the office during those years.
He enjoyed everything outdoors including working in his gardens, growing Heirloom tomatoes, landscape projects, and mowing his lawn at least once a week, feeding the birds, and taking walks with Bubba Dog and Mr. Cooper; their Beagles.
Golf was his passion, whether playing with his best friends in Ohio; Glen, Jim, and Ralph or in Minnesota with Larry, Rob, Tom, Don, Brent and Mark. He always enjoyed a Guiness, and sometimes White Castles after the round, talking about how low he could have shot if he could have only made a few putts. He had two holes in ones during his time on the courses.
After retiring, John had several part time jobs including working in a garden center, local golf courses, and his favorite job in driving Special Needs Kids to their schools. He would say the kids have so many heart-felt stories and felt fortunate hearing about their zest for life and vivid imaginations.
He is survived by his wife Karen of 32 years of marriage, whom he met on a downhill skiing trip. During their years, they vacationed often in Mexico, the Caribbean, and numerous areas of the US. John enjoyed being a parent to Karens three sons and was proud of the wives they chose. His greatest pleasure later in life was his three grandchildren. The grandchildren always had a special place in his heart watching them excel in sports, playing card games, going to the Zoo, gaming venues, or playing charades.
John is survived by his step-sons, Terry (Courtney), Andy (Jen) and Ryan; three grandchildren, Casey, Allie and Arya; his brother, Steve (Jean); sister-in-law, Irene and extended family members. His deceased siblings are Gene and Maxine and brother-in-law, William. His deceased parents are Roy and Naomi.
Up until the end, John had no fear of dying, and felt he lived a full and complete life by his standards, loving the Buckeyes, and the Packers. The support he received from classmates, friends, and great neighbors were greatly appreciated, including the oncology staff of Abbott Northwestern Hospital. Special thanks to Allina Hospice. The special and continuing care from Karen extended his quality of life during this period.
Following his death, he was cremated, and a Celebration of Life was held at Washburn-McReavy Dawn Valley Chapel. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Autism Society of Minnesota, Pancreatic Cancer Research, Animal Humane Society, Allina Hospice.