Leland John Propp Jr.

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of John, our beloved husband, father, grandfather, family member and friend. John died at home, peacefully and lovingly with his wife, daughter and son at his side.

John was born to Leland J. Propp Sr. and Bettilu C. Propp and was raised in Auburn, CA where he attended St. Joseph Catholic School and Placer High School. He later attended the University of Portland where he was elected president of his fraternity and was selected to participate in the university’s study abroad program in Salzburg, Austria for one year.

John married his wife of 54 years, Jacqueline Wilson (Jackie) in 1971. They went on to welcome two children – Kaycee and Jonathan and two grandchildren – Kai and Kinsley.

John’s siblings included his brother, Tom Propp (Stephanie), and his sisters Kathy Degree (Butch) and Suzanne Estes (Larry) along with many nieces and nephews.

John’s career began with First National Bank of Oregon in Portland. He was promoted to Vice President and managed the Construction Loan Department in both Medford and Eugene, Oregon. He subsequently accepted a position with National Bank of Alaska as VP and manager of Bank of Alaska’s Production Loan Division.

His next opportunity presented itself when he partnered with a long-time Alaska developer and began overseeing projects in Kodiak and Valdez, along with custom condominiums and homes in Anchorage. He then established his own construction company and built numerous homes throughout Anchorage. He also established a construction company in Vancouver, WA and commuted between and Alaska and Washington. In 1986, John and his family moved back to his hometown of Auburn, CA. It was there that the entity of J. Propp Construction was established. John developed Oakview Estates in South Auburn, and built hundreds of custom homes throughout the region including Granite Bay, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Auburn, and Truckee.

John will always be remembered for his strong will, determination, generosity, kindness, sense of adventure, uniquely exuberant laugh, and his competitive spirit. John channeled his competitive energy into golf and drag racing. For many years, John was a single digit handicap player and loved playing in tournaments and match play competitions. His fearlessness and sense of adventure led him to NHRA and Bracket Racing competitions. In earlier years, he drove Funny Cars and Top Alcohol Dragsters. In later years, he enjoyed bracket racing his dragster in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, and Idaho. He was particularly proud of winning the Nightfire National Championships at Firebird Raceway in Boise, Idaho. He maintained his competition license and was still racing at the age of 77.

John frequently repeated and wanted us to know that he accomplished every single thing that he had ever wanted out of life. He felt truly blessed.