John Mackley Grant

Obituary On July 23rd, 2016, John Mackley Grant finished his race, and went home to be with our Lord. John was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 23rd, 1932. Two years later, his family became acquainted with the Greenwood family and he discovered a new friend, JoAnn Greenwood, who would someday be his wife. John grew up in Toledo and after high school he earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Toledo. In 1956, he was a peace-time draftee into the United States Army. During his two-year military service, he married his long-time sweetheart, JoAnn, and they lived in Havre de Grace, Maryland where he was stationed. After completing his military service, John and JoAnn moved to Toledo where he took a teaching job and began work on a master's degree at Bowling Green University. He painted houses in the summers to earn extra income, and in whatever spare time he could find, he and JoAnn and friends would go sailing on Lake Erie and area rivers in their small sailboat, the "Joerro." In 1965, with their first three children in tow, John and JoAnn relocated to Fort Collins, Colorado, drawn by the majestic mountains, and the offer of a teaching position in the Art Department at Poudre High School. In 1972, John received his master's degree in education from Colorado State University. He continued to teach at Poudre High School until 1973, when he moved to the newly-built Rocky Mountain High School to serve as the head of that Art Department. In 1974 he was named the first Teacher of The Year in the school's history. John was a popular and well-respected educator, teaching his students drawing, painting, photography, and ceramics, as well as humanities. His dry sense of humor and easy-going demeanor in the classroom made him much beloved by his students. He was famous for instructing his students on the first day of each new term to "go down to the art supply store and buy a large jar of imagination." John loved seeing his students create beautiful ceramic pieces out of blocks of clay, and spent a great many nights going to the school after-hours to load and unload the kilns. John retired in 1990 after 32 years of teaching. In subsequent years, it was a rare occasion when John could go anywhere in Fort Collins without running into former students who greeted him warmly and with fond memories. John was very involved in education outside of the classroom as well. A sampling of positions in which he served includes: Secondary Education Representative to the Colorado Art Educators Association (CAEA); Vice President and Membership Chairman to CAEA; Fort Collins Youth Art Month Chairman; Executive Board of Poudre Education Association; Presenter at the 1978 National Art Educators Association Convention in Houston, Texas. John loved the mountains of Colorado and rarely missed an opportunity to "head for the hills." As a teacher with summers off, his family benefitted from his passion as he taught them to appreciate the great outdoors through hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, and photography. He purchased a grey burro, "Pokey," for backpacking use and, when Pokey wandered away and was lost during one particular trip, he replaced him with a black burro, "Chico." He loved to load up the burros' panniers and take off exploring. Later on, along with some family friends, John and JoAnn purchased a rustic cabin in the Poudre Canyon so the family could always have a place to go on a moment's notice for a relaxing weekend getaway. John leaves behind his loving wife of 59 years, JoAnn Grant, his eldest son, Glenn Grant of Manhattan, New York and his wife, Karen Pena; his daughter, Gail Grant of Windsor and her husband, Michael Anderson; his son David Grant of Windsor and his wife, Kim Grant; his youngest son, Dana Grant of Fort Collins; and four grandchildren, Jordyn, Andrew, Jennifer, and Nate. As the last member of his birth family, John was preceded in death by his parents, Albert (Perry) and Vera Grant of Toledo, Ohio, and all three of his siblings, Robert and Richard Grant of Toledo and his sister, Eleanor (Chickie) Benoit, of Palm Bay, Florida. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, August 18th, at 3:00 p.m., in the south auditorium of Timberline Church in Fort Collins. Internment of his cremains will occur on Friday, August 19th, at 11:30 a.m. with military honors at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver. South Auditorium SERVICES Memorial Service Thursday, August 18, 2016 3:00 PM Timberline Church 2908 S. Timberline Fort Collins, Colorado 80525 South Auditorium Read More Services You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or by planting a memorial tree in the memory of John Mackley Grant