John Wesley Mckenzie

John Wesley Mckenzie was born May 17, 1946, in Duluth, Minnesota. He died of a heart attack April 20, 2017 in Palo Alto, California.

John graduated from Duluth Cathedral High School in 1964 and won prizes and scholarships for his academic achievements. He graduated from the California Institute Of Technology in 1968 in Physics and went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Engineering from Stanford University. He worked in the water purification industry for several years, and then he went into business on his own and developed highly sophisticated software programs for controls of water desalination and water treatment plants around the world. After leaving his studies at Stanford, he remained in Palo Alto where he enjoyed playing volleyball, bicycling and watching Stanford sports. He loved the chantey singing aboard the Balclutha and Eureka, historic ships in San Francisco, and enjoyed strolling the Hyde Street pier in San Francisco. A favorite was soup night at Our Lady Of The Rosary Catholic Church in Palo Alto.

John was a kind and gentle person who had a broad range of interests but always had time for friends and family. He is missed by all who knew him.

He was predeceased in death by his parents John “Jock” Mckenzie and Alice Mulrennan Mckenzie. He is survived by his cousins John Flaherty of San Jose, California, Shirley Johnson of Santa Rosa, California, Joanne Kellogg of Encinitas, California, Judy Sanson of Wayzata, Minnesota, Bobby Duehring of Mankato, Minnesota, Jim McFall of Ennis, Montana, Shawna Thielbar of St. Croix, Minnesota, Cindy McFall of Janesville, Minnesota, Matthew Schneider of Teague, Texas, Mark Schneider of Centennial, Colorado, and Laurel Lamb of Lecanto, Florida.