John Haven

May 24, 1947 ~ August 27, 2011

John Haven of Longmont passed away August 27, 2011 at the Denver V.A. Hospital with his loving family and friends at his side. He was 64 years old.

John was born may 24, 1947 in Los Angeles, California, the son of Larry and Helen Goter. He graduated from Edgewood High School in 1965. John was drafted into the United States Army in 1967 and he served his country in Viet Nam with Honor. In 1969 he married his wife Sandra, and they shared an amazing 42 years together. In 1979 they moved to Longmont from California. It was here that they started their family and were blessed with their only son Robert Haven in 1982. John worked for Boulder County as Facilities Maintenance Supervisor, retiring in 2009.

John, or “The Chief” as most people called him, enjoyed a life-long passion of restoring, building and customizing classic cars and hot rods. One in particular was his 1938 Studebaker, which together with his son, restored and took to many car shows across the country. He shared this passion not only with his son, but with all of his friends as well, and together it brought many memories for all. John enjoyed Saturday morning breakfast with the guys, In-N-Out burgers, and poker nights. John was a man of few words, but when he spoke, you better listen because you were going to learn something. He was best described as a man of loyalty, integrity, and a person who was trustworthy. John was a man with a big heart and it had touched many people’s lives in so many ways, and he will be missed by all.

John is survived by his wife Sandra, his son Robert, his parents Larry and Helen Goter of Loveland, CO; sisters Rikki Dehner of Longmont, Karen Sniff of Longmont and Sharon Merriam of Longmont; his sister-in-law Patti Alderson of Phoenix, AZ; many nieces and nephews and his dog Saddie Girl.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at LifeBridge Christian Church. Services will conclude at the Church with cremation to follow.