John Robert Persons

John Robert Persons currently of Wellington, Colorado was the first son of Lucille Skrief Persons and Robert Persons born on September 3, 1946 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He died August 4, 2025 at his home. He was preceded in death by his beloved brother James and their parents. John graduated from West High school in Minneapolis. John married Evelyn Schrader in 1968. And they have two sons: Scott Persons (Cori, Cece and Addie) of Minneapolis and Christopher Persons (Stacey, Drew) of Bakersfield, California. John and Ev divorced when his alcoholism overwhelmed their lives. He did become sober with the help of the great people at Hazelden and AA in 1988. John married Nancy Miller in 1998. He did many different jobs over the years but his dream job was to “make a living on a lake.” That dream came true when he and his wife bought a small marina and trailer court on Lake Pokegama in Grand Rapids, MN in 2002. There John was able to play with boats, sell gas for boats and airplanes, sit around the picnic table – otherwise known as the Liars’ Club – in front of the store watching the boats go by, telling stories and lies. This marina was known to all in Grand Rapids as Trooptown – a much storied place in the area. It was a wonderful 20 years, and we thank all our friends that helped to make it so. John always said the greatest accomplishment of his life would be to die sober. He accomplished this magnificently.

Family requests that any memorials be sent to Pathways Hospice Care in Fort Collins, Colorado.