John Coler

John Wesley Coler, 49, Fargo, died on All Saints Day, November 1, 2010, from pancreatic cancer. Born in Tyler, MN, on June 8, 1961, to Paul and Carole, John moved with his family to Park River, ND in the sixth grade. While at bible camp during his senior year, John gave his life to Christ. Three days after graduating from high school, he left Park River and traveled north to Alaska to take a job working on a fishing boat. It didn’t take long for John to realize that commercial fishing was not his calling. But he did hear God’s call to follow the other J.C. in becoming a fisher of men. With that, John traded his fishing gear for a bible and headed south to Seattle to enroll in Lutheran Bible Institute (now Trinity College). At LBI, all students are required to conduct community service and John’s work reflected his passionate concern for other people. He walked the streets and alleys of downtown Seattle on Friday and Saturday nights looking for people who needed food or a place to stay. During these adventures, he delighted in sending home photos of himself standing by run-down bars and other notable establishments (like “John’s Adult Bookstore”) writing, “This is what I do on Friday nights.” John graduated from LBI in 1985 with a degree in Youth Ministry, and it was during his time in Seattle that John met his love, Babs Helland. They were married on Dec 18, 1982. John was always a firm believer in relationships and, to many, they are simply known as “Babs and John.” Babs and John are parents to three lovely daughters and their family remains his proudest impact on the world, one he called his wonderful legacy. After graduation, John served as youth leader for two years at his first church in Williston, ND. He and his family then moved to Detroit Lakes, MN, where John spent the next five years leading and mentoring the youth of Trinity Lutheran Church. At this time he was also very active in Young Life and Camp Castaway. In 1991, the Coler family moved to Fargo, where John spent the next 19 years at Hope Lutheran Church. In Fargo, he also volunteered with the Cass County Sheriff’s Emergency Services Unit. John led countless youth trips with the kids of his and other congregations, often driving the bus himself to ski hills, camps and mission sites. These trips took John as far south as Jamaica and as far north as British Columbia. But the greatest and most important journeys he led his groups on were the journeys of Christian faith. John, the ultimate extrovert, gained his energy through interactions with other people. He cherished the times he spent with friends and family. Whether he was displaying his extraordinary bar-b-que skills for an appreciative audience on his backyard patio, taking a madcap weekend marathon road trip to Mexico with two friends in a Mazda 626, or laughing on a Bad Movie Night, the countless people he touched in his life will attest to the fact that John’s primary aim was to interact with them and make warm memories together. Youth minister, entrepreneur, clockmaker. Tinkerer, teacher, technologist. Handyman, helpful man, loving man. Father, husband, and great friend. John will be remembered as a unique, kind, humorous, supportive and gentle spirit. Many times during his illness he served as the healer instead of the patient, displaying the grace and intuition that was his way for 49 years. Even though he was suffering, his unique perspective, rooted in his Christian faith, served to make the process deeply profound for everyone he touched. We are all better for having John in our lives. Though we will miss him greatly, we will never forget him. John is survived by his loving wife Babs; daughters Amanda (Dustin) Otis, Emily (Benjamin) Coler Hanson and Whitney Coler. In lieu of flowers, the Coler family would like memorial donations made in John’s name to be given to the Hope Lutheran Youth Ministry Fund. Memorial Service: 10AM, Friday, November 5, 2010 at Hope Lutheran Church - South Campus, Fargo. Visitation: 5:00-7:00PM, Thursday, November 4, 2010 at Hope Lutheran Church - South Campus. Prayer Service: 7:00PM, Thursday at church.