John R. Bunnell

John R. Bunnell, 83, a resident of Fergus Falls, died Monday, June 15, 2015 at Lake Region Healthcare in Fergus Falls.

John Bunnell was born on November 29th, 1931, in Westfield, New Jersey. He lived in Westfield for seven years before moving to Clearwater, Florida.

John had an older brother, Fred, and a younger sister, Anne. They were raised by their mother and grandmother, who was affectionately known as “Memomie”. John, brother Fred, and sister Anne enjoyed their carefree days on Clearwater Beach. John developed his lifelong love of baseball from his grandfather who was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan. He was known to have skipped school in spring to watch the Phillies in spring training. This is where John was able to meet the great Babe Ruth, in his post-baseball career, where he obtained his lifelong treasure, a baseball that he brought which was signed by the “Sultan of Swat.” This great family heirloom and story has been shared with his family and friends.

After graduation from high school, John enlisted in the Air Force, where he was stationed in his beloved Germany in the city of Ramstein. This is also where he met
his first wife, Joyce Klabunde. John and Joyce enjoyed many great times in Germany, where they fell in love and married in Pensacola, FL, in 1954. After their wedding, they moved to Denver, CO, where John earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Business Administration from the University of Denver. It is also where son Jim was born in 1955.

In 1957, John began his career with Eastman Kodak in Rochester, NY. In 1960, son Jay was born. John then moved the family to Santa Monica, CA, shortly thereafter. John and the family enjoyed going to games at Dodger Stadium, where they saw some of the all-time greats like Sandy Koufax, John’s favorite pitcher of all time.
During our time in California, the family traveled to Minnesota every summer, camping along the way, enjoying time spent at the Klabunde family farm. We enjoyed time spent on the beautiful lakes where fishing became a passion for John, an activity that he pursued the rest of his life.

John continued his career growth moving the family back to Rochester, NY, where he subsequently joined the Xerox Corporation. The family then moved to their headquarters in Stamford, CT, where John became the Manager of Investor Relations. After the passing of his beloved wife Joyce in 1989, John decided to continue his retirement dream by moving to Minnesota in 1990. John would have Jim and Jay’s families up for annual summer vacations. John passed along his fishing passion to his grandchildren, which he enjoyed immensely. It is also where John developed a very strong bond with the Klabunde family, and enjoyed many activities such as fishing at White Earth Lake.

John met his second wife, Joyce, in 1994 and opened his home to his new family which included daughter Dana and sons Jake and Scott. John and Joyce enjoyed nearly 18 years of marriage together, dancing, fishing, going to church, and pursuing a variety of volunteer activities.
John is survived by his sister Anne, sons Jim and Jay, his wife Joyce, his stepdaughter Dana, stepsons Jake and Scott, and six grandchildren.

We want to thank everyone for helping us celebrate John’s rich and rewarding life, and his being a great family member and friend to all. We will all miss his honesty, integrity, hard work ethic, sense of humor, and optimistic outlook on life. John will be sorely missed by all of us.

Written with Love by sons Jim and Jay

Memorials are preferred to Stephen Ministries at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls or the Fix It Ministry at Grace United Methodist Church in Fergus Falls.

Visitation: 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 17, 2015 with a public prayer service at 6 p.m. at the Olson Funeral Home, Fergus Falls. Visitation will resume one hour prior to the service at the church.
Service: 11 a.m. Thursday, June 18, 2015 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Fergus Falls
Clergy: Reverend Tom Peterson
Burial: Riverside Cemetery, Mahnomen, MN
Arrangements provided by Olson Funeral Home, Fergus Falls, MN.