John Lindley Chesnutt

John grew up and went to Franklin High School in Seattle. He was an active kid and loved to tinker with things. He used to reminisce about winning a bicycle race around Seward Park for which he was awarded a buck knife (he still owns the knife and 1940’s bike) and about connecting fireworks to car starters and also little barges in Lake Washington. He went on to the University of Washington, where, following in the footsteps of his father, he majored in accounting. He helped put himself through college by working in auto shops and even replacing asbestos bricks in the confined spaces of commercial boilers. After graduation, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. into the Army Finance Corps and spent two years on active duty with the Army Audit Agency. He then joined the Seattle office of Deloitte, Haskins & Sells as a CPA. During that time he met his beloved wife of 67 years, registered nurse Arlys Gibson, when she was giving him a shot (in the you know what!) at her clinic. They moved to Portland, Oregon in 1965 where he worked for US Bancorp, Columbia Corp, and Allied Forest Products until his retirement. This last role entailed traveling regularly to many sawmills in the West, where he enjoyed the scenery and all the machinery, as he was a mechanic at heart.

John’s interest in all things mechanical, especially tinkering with classic Chrysler automobiles, is what he really enjoyed spending his time on for years to come. From his first, sporty, powerful 1957 Chrysler 300C which he purchased in 1958 to the other 8 classic cars that he owned all at one time, he really enjoyed maintaining and driving them to car shows with Arlys throughout the Northwest. Hanging with his Chrysler enthusiast friends, for whom he was a friend to all and a resource for help and questions, was great fun for him. He had the biggest smile on his face when he was in his “monkeysuit” working on a car project.

John was an involved and loving husband and father. Shortly after meeting Arlys, they married and had three sons, whom they raised in Portland. Their busy lives included many family road trips in the 300C, including to many of the western national parks and to his assignments in the Army Reserve, where he served for more than 30 years in accounting roles until retiring as a full Colonel. He also invested time with the boys in Boy Scout outings and sports. He cherished his Christian faith and loved serving at St. Luke Lutheran Church in his 60 years there. His devoted love for Arlys is what helped sustain their marriage into their 90’s where they lived at home until his peaceful passing. His strong Christian marriage and dedication to his large family are the proudest part of his legacy.

John was a relatively quiet presence unless you struck up a conversation about maps/directions, car maintenance, appliance repairs, tax returns, or the stock market – then he had plenty to say. He was also a repository of knowledge about the Bridlemile neighborhood in Portland, where he could tell you the current and previous residents of every home he passed on his regular walks in the hills into his 90’s. He was diligent to keep in touch with a network of family and friends from many circles of his life, to a level that people just don’t do today.

He is survived by those fortunate to have been called his family–his wife Arlys Chesnutt, his brother, David Chesnutt; his three sons and their wives: Mark Chesnutt and Asha Narasimhan Chesnutt, James Chesnutt and Karin Fahlman Chesnutt, and John D. Chesnutt and Julie Stankewitz Chesnutt; by nine grandchildren: Cameron Chesnutt, Mika Chesnutt, Jack Chesnutt, Erika Chesnutt Morriera, Kristin Chesnutt Oro, Matthew Chesnutt, Hannah Chesnutt, Sonja Chesnutt Giordano, and John P. Chesnutt; and by three great grandchildren: Elaina Morriera, Grace Morriera, and Bennett Oro. He was predeceased by his sisters Ellen Barton and Jane Chesnutt. He will be greatly missed.

A graveside service will be held at Willamette National Cemetery, located at 11800 SE Mt Scott Blvd, Happy Valley, OR 97086, United States. The service is scheduled for February 23, 2026, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, we encourage you to direct a donation to The Meals on Wheels People/Tigard Oregon.See details below:

As for memorial donations, thank you so much for thinking of us. Donations may be made in one of two ways:

A check written to Meals on Wheels People with a note of memoriam for John Chesnutt / Tigard Center. These can be mailed to:

Meals on Wheels People

PO Box 19477

Portland, OR 97280-0477

Or

Through our online at www.mowp.org utilizing the Donate button. There, you can choose to donate to Tigard Center and designate the funds as a memorial with the honoree’s name.