John Arthur Cillessen

John Arthur Cillessen, of Arvada, CO, passed away on March 30, 2025 after succumbing to injuries from his fall on March 21, 2025. He was 75 years old. His family is deeply saddened by his departure, and also somewhat relieved that he will no longer be struggling with worsening Lewy Body Dementia symptoms. He was the loving husband to JaNeil for 54 years, and father to Valerie, Shane and Tara. He was a caring friend to very many people and a skilled craftsman and successful businessman. He leaves a legacy of hard work that can be seen in all parts of Colorado and beyond.

His journey started in Albuquerque, NM where he learned to be a carpenter like his father and met the love of his life, JaNeil. They got married in 1969 and started a family. John and JaNeil moved to Arvada in 1977 and he opened his construction business – J.A.C. Building and Remodeling, which he operated until 2009.

John became involved with the Boy Scouts when his son Shane was a scout himself. John became Scoutmaster and helped teach survival skills and hunting skills to many scouts. John had an affinity for cars, especially muscle cars, and had 3 different Corvettes and 2 different Camaro drag race cars which he and his son spent a lot of time building and racing together. That is why John and JaNeil bought their first motorhome to have something at the racetrack in the pits. They quickly learned that they both loved RVing and traded up for a bigger and better motorhome every few years as they traveled the country “Glamping in style” with many friends and family over several years.

John and JaNeil loved to travel all over the world and they saw a lot of it. They did a lot of traveling when JaNeil was breeding and showing grand champion cats all over the country, and they continued traveling for fun as time passed. They met many very good friends along the way in all of their adventures.

They joined a lot of different social groups over the years and met so many wonderful people. The Newcomers group in Arvada, pinochle / poker groups and more. They joined the Elks Lodge where they have been long time members and where John spent several years as House Committee Chairperson and made a lot of good friends. John was a tough boss to work for and could be quite demanding and stubborn, but he was also a very caring person and loved a lot of people very dearly.

John and JaNeil stood by Valerie’s side for 5 years as she battled cancer until her death in 2017. John had several back surgeries and battled throat cancer which he beat after several pinpoint radiation treatments. Lately, John has been struggling with dementia symptoms for a few years that was accelerated after JaNeil’s passing in 2023 and was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia in December, 2024. John was somewhat lost after JaNeil passed, but tried to keep himself busy at the Elks Lodge, and continued doing some traveling in his motorhome and another trip to Cabo. He became close with Cheryl and they shared a very brief companionship before he passed. Cheryl was instrumental in keeping John connected to his social circles and making his travels more enjoyable. 

John is survived by his son Shane (Heather), his daughter Tara (Saul) Musquiz, his grand-daughters Chelsea, Veronica, Brianna, Brittany, and Katelynn, and grandsons Sean and Hunter, and five 4-legged kids. 

We celebrate his amazing life at the Westminster Elks Lodge, where he loved to play bingo and darts. The service begins at 11 AM on April 24, 2025 with a BBQ lunch to follow. Flowers will be accepted April 24th at the Westminster Elks Lodge, or at Tara Musquiz’s residence: 5150 Swadley St, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033, or please consider sending a donation to:

Lewy Body Dementia Association: https://www.lbda.org

Denver Dumb Friends League: https://www.ddfl.org 

American Cancer Society: https://donate.cancer.org/