Rest in Peace Johnny

John T. Duerkop, Jr., June 11, 1948 - May 23, 2008
John was an unusual man. He was kind-hearted, a gentleman, intensely curious about the world around him, and happiest when he was talking about what he had learned.

He preferred a slower pace. He liked to drive the back roads, instead of the freeways, because there was so much more of life to see there.

He liked people. He liked rivers, streams, lakes, valleys, mountains, sunsets, and rain storms. He collected and studied history books, magazines, and maps. He could always tell you what was up the road, off the beaten path, and who had been there in times past. He seemed to know something about everything.

He liked cowboys and Indians, and cowboy poets. He liked pine trees, flannel shirts, and campfires. He liked horses, fish, and birds.

He never got enough of the world and what filled it.

He was faithful, loving, and respectful, and we cherished him.

His body was finally overcome by cancer. It’s been weeks since he passed away, but it is still difficult to believe that he’s not still fighting.

During the last year of his life, there were many times when it seemed his tired body could not possibly hold on much longer. But somehow he rallied. Setback after setback, he came back. It’s hard to accept that he had such a hard time of it and hard to comprehend his absence.


John was supported by a strong network of family, by friends who held him so dear they seemed like family, and by kind strangers who heard about him and prayed, yearned, and willed for him to recover.
When he finally passed away one afternoon, he was at home, asleep, where he wanted to be, in the West Texas desert. Surrounded by some of those mountains, cowboys, and horses that he loved. His body is gone, but he’s still here, deep in our hearts.