John Milton Bjerkness Jr. peacefully departed from this life on March 24, 2025, at Skagit Valley Hospital, just 27 days before his 100th birthday. On the day of his passing, family visited and prayed with and for John. His faith was private but settled.

John enjoyed a healthy lifestyle and was active well into his 90's. He never married but was devoted to his siblings and their descendants. Family was everything to John.

He was born to a Scandinavian family in Doran, Minnesota on April 21, 1925, to John Milton Bjerkenss Sr and Florence (Monson) Bjerkness. He had 3 sisters, Minerva, Fern and Erma and 2 brothers, Merle and Wayne. The only surviving sibling is his youngest sister, Erma Fredrickson, now of Stanwood.

For many years, John worked as a refrigeration engineer at Associated Grocers in Seattle and retired from there.

John was a WWII Veteran and served honorably in the Army infantry and served in the Pacific with the Merchant Marines. He let his life do the talking and had a busy mind always thinking about some new mechanical gadget. John was a gifted and devoted photographer and was the first in the family to own a computer. He still researched on his iPad until recently. John's mind remained sharp until the end.

Living in Ballard, in the same house, for 57 years, John was happy with established routines and was not overly concerned about impressing people. He drove a 1973 Volvo, with a stick shift, for nearly 350,000 miles until it was smashed by a hit and run driver. After the accident, John went car shopping to car-lots in Ballard, on foot, to find a replacement.

For a nearly a century, John Milton Bjerkness Jr. was a vital member of the Bjerkness family. He was reliable, careful and deliberate. He lived life on earth without extremes and left this life quietly and in peace. He will, of course, be greatly missed.

No memorial service is planned currently. Cremation has taken place at his request.