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IN LOVING MEMORY OF
John Scott
Delzell
June 26, 1954 – April 26, 2015
Obituary
To the Friends and Family of the Artist
John Delzell (Muhler)
Camano Island, Washington
June 26, 1954 – April 26, 2015
What Happened
With a sad heart, we want you to know that we lost our dear, sweet John from a sudden heart attack on Sunday, April 26, 2015. John and his wife Jenna and their daughter Maria were enjoying the beautiful day in the yard planting flowers. John put the final artistic touches on a flower box he'd made for his wife, sat down to enjoy the sun, and then suddenly collapsed and died in his wife's arms. The local medics and firefighters arrived within minutes. Several of them had known John for many years. They worked valiantly to coax his heart back to us, but it wasn't meant to be.
Adoption Only forty days previously, on March 17th, John and Jenna had celebrated a happy day at the courthouse, finalizing the adoption of eight-year-old Maria. They've had the privilege of having Maria in their home for the last two years, spending time in home schooling, reading hundreds of books, walking daily in the forest and on the beach, hiking most weekends, and studying science and dinosaurs. They also enjoyed many wonderful, fun tickling sessions. This little girl experienced two years of having an adoring daddy for the first time in her life.
A Love Story
John and Jenna married on the Winter Solstice in December 2008 by snowshoeing two miles to Artist's Point on Mount Baker, taking the preacher with them. They wore their Scottish tartans to honor John's heritage and said their vows in zero degree weather. A couple of weeks later, they had an unexpected offer to travel to Africa to work in some orphanages. It was quite a honeymoon.
From the living room of their modest home in the forest, they could look out over the water of Port Susan to watch the whales blow. Board games with morning coffee were a ritual. John artistically landscaped their property with flower boxes, raised beds, drift wood terracing, and pretty little cedar fences to keep their happy chickens corralled. He took great pride in chopping wood and creating beautiful stacks of fuel to keep them warm.
John repeatedly told Jenna that these were the best years of his life. It wasn't hard for neighbors and friends to see the delightful, unconditional love flowing between these two people. John's easygoing playfulness and Jenna's infectious personality were a joy to witness; they were a perfect match and lived more rewardingly in the last seven years than most people do in a lifetime.
Life Stands Still John's art studio is untouched since he tossed his painter's apron on his chair that fateful Sunday—an unfinished painting still on the easel. He signed his new artwork earlier in the day in preparation for the Mother's Day Tour. In the house, his shoes and coat are still by the door … the board game that he played with Jenna that morning rests on the dining table.
Maria puts on the dress she wore last month at the adoption and dances and sings for her daddy in the early morning sun that streams across Port Susan into their living room. She carefully polishes daddy's glasses, just as he taught her, and places them back in the special spot where Mommy wants to keep them. She now is learning to talk to her daddy's memory instead of to his gentle face and sparkling eyes. The first morning she awoke after his passing, she said that she felt her daddy's breath on her while she slept.
Every day a new layer of reality washes over Jenna. Waves of grief intermingle with the need to make decisions, to explain life and death to a child, and to accept a different path without her soul mate at her side. Her mother is with her and is processing the necessary paperwork. The local community members have been so kind and loving and are on standby to give any and all help that she may need. They have been so gracious to give her privacy while she and Maria feel their way through this maze of life and death. Jenna wants everyone to know how much she appreciates the love and support poured into her during this extremely shocking and difficult time.
John the Man John charmed us with his quick wit, gentle smile, twinkling eyes, and peaceful energy. He could casually sit in a group and quickly have all of us in stitches with his observations, funny stories, and gentle teasing. Each time we left his presence we would be smiling and chuckling to ourselves. He was a quiet and tender man who left a swath of joy wherever he went. John was a happy individual and chose not to dwell on mistakes or failures. He achieved his goal to 'live life simply, fully, and lovingly'. A classmate of John's from high school said, "John had some type of insight on how to explore life without any negative repercussions to him or to others. John was someone we were proud and happy to know. Thank you, John, for making the world a better place."
John the Artist John was born in Newport, Oregon and grew up in Montclair, New Jersey. He attended college at Ohio Wesleyan University and Montclair State College, graduating magna cum laude with a BA in Fine Arts with an Education Certificate. John discovered his love for art during his college years at Ohio Wesleyan University. He has been a gifted artist for over thirty-five years. John was a longtime teacher at Comstock Junior High in Santa Rosa, California and was a talented photographer, capturing wedding ceremonies and student theatrical productions in Rincon Valley. John's well known portrait project, Life Encounters on Canvas, explored the diversity and intimate thoughts of twenty-eight students who had immigrated to the US from countries around the world. These portraits and their condensed stories can be viewed on his website.
In the year 2000, John moved to Camano Island, Washington and became a substitute teacher for the Stanwood School District. Since 2007, he taught art classes on Camano Island to children and adults and held summer art camps for children at his home studio overlooking Port Susan Sound. He has been a past president of The Stanwood Camano Arts Guild. He was a member of The Camano Arts Association and was on the Mother's Day Studio Tour since about 2001. He has been happily involved in community projects such as the Rotary Adventure Park for children. He also created and painted the mural for Utsalady Elementary School. For many years, John was the percussionist of the South End String Band on Camano Island.
His love of painting propelled him on many adventures. He took a trip to Africa to volunteer in several orphanages in Kenya and Uganda. John loved being out in nature, hiking and camping extensively throughout the Pacific Northwest. Many of his paintings were inspired by these places. He explored many painting styles and said: "My goal is not to have a specific style, but instead, to enjoy the creative process and allow for individual interpretation. I want to let the creative process be the point of painting, and the final work is just one act of the dance that will forever hold the movements in place."
Life Celebration We will gather and celebrate John's life in the later part of June this year. Once the date and arrangements are finalized, we will send another email out to all of you. We will also post it on his website.
What You Can Do to Help John and Jenna lived frugally, and the only debts they have are the mortgage and adoption expenses. But John was the primary income provider. We want to help John get his wife in a better financial situation so she can concentrate on raising their child and continuing the home schooling. They won't be able to keep their home if the mortgage is not paid off. They also still have medical transport and hospital bills and funeral expenses. The house roof will need to be replaced soon. And having a fund for schooling materials for Maria would be helpful.
Write to Them Even if you are not able to donate, we encourage you to write an email to John (yes, you can do that), telling him what you wish you could have told him or sharing stories of your times with him. Or you can write to his wife, Jenna, sharing what John meant to you along with stories you have about John. You can also write an email to little Maria, telling her what a fine man her daddy was. Your writings about John will be crucial to the healing of Jenna and Maria for the rest of their lives.
Thank you all once more for your love and support. We appreciate your thoughts, prayers, kind intentions, and generosity.
Contact & Donation Information
1. Email Jenna at: John@JohnDelzellArt.com
2. Donations can be in any combination of names: John and/or Jenna Delzell
3. Donations can be sent directly to Jenna to their mailing address: 2177 Highland Drive Camano Island, WA 98282
4. Or you can make a deposit into her (Washington State) Heritage bank account from online Bill Pay or walk-in:
Routing #: 325-170-835 Acct #: 971-066-386 http://www.heritagebankwaonline2.com
5. Funding website (with pictures):
http://www.youcaring.com/memorial-fundraiser/the-john-delzell-family-fund/347538
More about John's Art and His Life with Jenna
• www.JohnDelzellArt.com Bio on front page. Not all art work is on the website.
• http://johndelzellart.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html The Engagement
• http://johndelzellart.blogspot.com/2009/02/icing-on-cake.html The Wedding
• http://johndelzellart.blogspot.com/2009/02/off-to-africa.html Off to Africa
Art News
• No artwork is for sale at this time. If you want to be on the waiting list, please send us your name and contact information.
• John Delzell Art studio will be closed for Mother's Day Tour this year.
• It is possible that next year his wife will open his studio for the Mother's Day Tour to honor John and his art.
• Art Camp will be suspended until later this summer.
John Delzell (Muhler)
Camano Island, Washington
June 26, 1954 – April 26, 2015
What Happened
With a sad heart, we want you to know that we lost our dear, sweet John from a sudden heart attack on Sunday, April 26, 2015. John and his wife Jenna and their daughter Maria were enjoying the beautiful day in the yard planting flowers. John put the final artistic touches on a flower box he'd made for his wife, sat down to enjoy the sun, and then suddenly collapsed and died in his wife's arms. The local medics and firefighters arrived within minutes. Several of them had known John for many years. They worked valiantly to coax his heart back to us, but it wasn't meant to be.
Adoption Only forty days previously, on March 17th, John and Jenna had celebrated a happy day at the courthouse, finalizing the adoption of eight-year-old Maria. They've had the privilege of having Maria in their home for the last two years, spending time in home schooling, reading hundreds of books, walking daily in the forest and on the beach, hiking most weekends, and studying science and dinosaurs. They also enjoyed many wonderful, fun tickling sessions. This little girl experienced two years of having an adoring daddy for the first time in her life.
A Love Story
John and Jenna married on the Winter Solstice in December 2008 by snowshoeing two miles to Artist's Point on Mount Baker, taking the preacher with them. They wore their Scottish tartans to honor John's heritage and said their vows in zero degree weather. A couple of weeks later, they had an unexpected offer to travel to Africa to work in some orphanages. It was quite a honeymoon.
From the living room of their modest home in the forest, they could look out over the water of Port Susan to watch the whales blow. Board games with morning coffee were a ritual. John artistically landscaped their property with flower boxes, raised beds, drift wood terracing, and pretty little cedar fences to keep their happy chickens corralled. He took great pride in chopping wood and creating beautiful stacks of fuel to keep them warm.
John repeatedly told Jenna that these were the best years of his life. It wasn't hard for neighbors and friends to see the delightful, unconditional love flowing between these two people. John's easygoing playfulness and Jenna's infectious personality were a joy to witness; they were a perfect match and lived more rewardingly in the last seven years than most people do in a lifetime.
Life Stands Still John's art studio is untouched since he tossed his painter's apron on his chair that fateful Sunday—an unfinished painting still on the easel. He signed his new artwork earlier in the day in preparation for the Mother's Day Tour. In the house, his shoes and coat are still by the door … the board game that he played with Jenna that morning rests on the dining table.
Maria puts on the dress she wore last month at the adoption and dances and sings for her daddy in the early morning sun that streams across Port Susan into their living room. She carefully polishes daddy's glasses, just as he taught her, and places them back in the special spot where Mommy wants to keep them. She now is learning to talk to her daddy's memory instead of to his gentle face and sparkling eyes. The first morning she awoke after his passing, she said that she felt her daddy's breath on her while she slept.
Every day a new layer of reality washes over Jenna. Waves of grief intermingle with the need to make decisions, to explain life and death to a child, and to accept a different path without her soul mate at her side. Her mother is with her and is processing the necessary paperwork. The local community members have been so kind and loving and are on standby to give any and all help that she may need. They have been so gracious to give her privacy while she and Maria feel their way through this maze of life and death. Jenna wants everyone to know how much she appreciates the love and support poured into her during this extremely shocking and difficult time.
John the Man John charmed us with his quick wit, gentle smile, twinkling eyes, and peaceful energy. He could casually sit in a group and quickly have all of us in stitches with his observations, funny stories, and gentle teasing. Each time we left his presence we would be smiling and chuckling to ourselves. He was a quiet and tender man who left a swath of joy wherever he went. John was a happy individual and chose not to dwell on mistakes or failures. He achieved his goal to 'live life simply, fully, and lovingly'. A classmate of John's from high school said, "John had some type of insight on how to explore life without any negative repercussions to him or to others. John was someone we were proud and happy to know. Thank you, John, for making the world a better place."
John the Artist John was born in Newport, Oregon and grew up in Montclair, New Jersey. He attended college at Ohio Wesleyan University and Montclair State College, graduating magna cum laude with a BA in Fine Arts with an Education Certificate. John discovered his love for art during his college years at Ohio Wesleyan University. He has been a gifted artist for over thirty-five years. John was a longtime teacher at Comstock Junior High in Santa Rosa, California and was a talented photographer, capturing wedding ceremonies and student theatrical productions in Rincon Valley. John's well known portrait project, Life Encounters on Canvas, explored the diversity and intimate thoughts of twenty-eight students who had immigrated to the US from countries around the world. These portraits and their condensed stories can be viewed on his website.
In the year 2000, John moved to Camano Island, Washington and became a substitute teacher for the Stanwood School District. Since 2007, he taught art classes on Camano Island to children and adults and held summer art camps for children at his home studio overlooking Port Susan Sound. He has been a past president of The Stanwood Camano Arts Guild. He was a member of The Camano Arts Association and was on the Mother's Day Studio Tour since about 2001. He has been happily involved in community projects such as the Rotary Adventure Park for children. He also created and painted the mural for Utsalady Elementary School. For many years, John was the percussionist of the South End String Band on Camano Island.
His love of painting propelled him on many adventures. He took a trip to Africa to volunteer in several orphanages in Kenya and Uganda. John loved being out in nature, hiking and camping extensively throughout the Pacific Northwest. Many of his paintings were inspired by these places. He explored many painting styles and said: "My goal is not to have a specific style, but instead, to enjoy the creative process and allow for individual interpretation. I want to let the creative process be the point of painting, and the final work is just one act of the dance that will forever hold the movements in place."
Life Celebration We will gather and celebrate John's life in the later part of June this year. Once the date and arrangements are finalized, we will send another email out to all of you. We will also post it on his website.
What You Can Do to Help John and Jenna lived frugally, and the only debts they have are the mortgage and adoption expenses. But John was the primary income provider. We want to help John get his wife in a better financial situation so she can concentrate on raising their child and continuing the home schooling. They won't be able to keep their home if the mortgage is not paid off. They also still have medical transport and hospital bills and funeral expenses. The house roof will need to be replaced soon. And having a fund for schooling materials for Maria would be helpful.
Write to Them Even if you are not able to donate, we encourage you to write an email to John (yes, you can do that), telling him what you wish you could have told him or sharing stories of your times with him. Or you can write to his wife, Jenna, sharing what John meant to you along with stories you have about John. You can also write an email to little Maria, telling her what a fine man her daddy was. Your writings about John will be crucial to the healing of Jenna and Maria for the rest of their lives.
Thank you all once more for your love and support. We appreciate your thoughts, prayers, kind intentions, and generosity.
Contact & Donation Information
1. Email Jenna at: John@JohnDelzellArt.com
2. Donations can be in any combination of names: John and/or Jenna Delzell
3. Donations can be sent directly to Jenna to their mailing address: 2177 Highland Drive Camano Island, WA 98282
4. Or you can make a deposit into her (Washington State) Heritage bank account from online Bill Pay or walk-in:
Routing #: 325-170-835 Acct #: 971-066-386 http://www.heritagebankwaonline2.com
5. Funding website (with pictures):
http://www.youcaring.com/memorial-fundraiser/the-john-delzell-family-fund/347538
More about John's Art and His Life with Jenna
• www.JohnDelzellArt.com Bio on front page. Not all art work is on the website.
• http://johndelzellart.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html The Engagement
• http://johndelzellart.blogspot.com/2009/02/icing-on-cake.html The Wedding
• http://johndelzellart.blogspot.com/2009/02/off-to-africa.html Off to Africa
Art News
• No artwork is for sale at this time. If you want to be on the waiting list, please send us your name and contact information.
• John Delzell Art studio will be closed for Mother's Day Tour this year.
• It is possible that next year his wife will open his studio for the Mother's Day Tour to honor John and his art.
• Art Camp will be suspended until later this summer.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John Scott Delzell, please visit our flower store.
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