A wonderful father, husband and friend to many, John Anthony Kleinheinz, passed into Jesus’s arms the evening of May 24, 2018.

He was the most humble, kind, optimistic, selfless, generous, charismatic father any child could dream to have. Hiking, cleaning, skiing, football, basketball, running, golf and let’s not forget work. You couldn’t choose just one; you had to do them all. Every morning you had to say three times out loud to the entire family “I like myself, I like myself, I like myself”, and eventually it worked, all of his seven children genuinely like themselves.

From time to time he would say; “Good, better best, never let it rest, till the good is better and the better is best.” It was his way of telling us to never give up, to keep on working and improving ourselves. Anyone who ever met John came away with the impression that they had just met the most optimistic person in the world and they probably had. It was the essence of who he was. There were simply no bad days in his life and no problem that could not be overcome. If it was raining, it didn’t matter. The sun would come out eventually. If there was a blizzard on the ski slope, that meant there were less people skiing and it was an opportunity to take another run.
His optimism was infectious and it was an incredibly powerful gift he gave to his children. There are no words that can sufficiently convey how much we appreciate this. He believed in us, we trusted him and believed in ourselves.
John was a tight end on his high school football team and played in the Wisconsin State all-star game his senior year. He attended St. Norbert’s college on an athletic football scholarship and continued to excel while playing there. After graduating from St. Norbert’s, he studied law for a time at Marquette University. While he did not receive a law degree from Marquette, he found something even better, the love of his life, Jane Burke. They were married in 1956 and have been together ever since.
While stationed in Europe with the U.S. Army, John took up skiing. He brought his love for this sport back home and taught his wife Jane and all his children to ski. With his characteristic optimism, he would talk anyone he met into skiing and soon had many of his friends participating in this sport. He loved bike riding and went on many biking tours throughout Europe.
He served in the military during the Korean War. Over the years, he was a volunteer in many local groups; Our Lady of the Lake parish council, Knights of Columbus, Board of Elders in Action, St. Vincent’s De Paul and others.
John Kleinheinz was born in Marshfield, Wisconsin, February 10, 1931 to wonderful parents, Ann and Adolph. He was the third of six children; the others being Mary, Helen, Jane, Paul and Frank. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jane Kleinheinz; his seven children, Anne, Kathy, Laura, John, Michael, Patrice and Marla; and his 15 grandchildren. His greatest loves in life were God, his family and his friends.
Services will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, June 1, 2018, at Our Lady of the Lake Parish, 650 A Street, Lake Oswego, OR.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Edwards Center, P.O. Box 6269, Aloha, OR 97007 or Our Lady of the Lake parish.