Karen,
I want to extend my deepest condolences to you and your family.  As the Program Manager, I had the pleasure of working with Jason on the latest Forest Service project.

Jason’s brilliance as an engineer was apparent immediately to myself and the team; instantly earning respect (and even adoring fans).  He was thoughtful, forward-thinking and bold, and he encouraged the team to try new things.  As a person, he was passionate with ideas in a positive way, but was very open to hearing contrary ones objectively.  Our hope is to implement maybe one of his last technology visions, in his honor.

From the team, we deeply appreciated our time with him over the past year.
Jeremy Haas, Alyson, Trudi, Dan, Paul, Curtis, Neil, Ramesh, Bonifacio, Terry, Dave, and of course his friend Wendall.

I am so sorry for your loss,

I worked with Jason for a very short period - since November of 2022.

In that time, he impressed me with his technical and analytical skills, but even more by his friendly, caring and genuine nature and his positive spirt.

I am glad I got to know Jason, if for just a brief while.

I am saddened to hear about Jason's passing. He was a knowledgable and positive coworker. My condolences to your family.

Jason and I shared an office working for the Soil Conservation Service when I arrived in Anchorage Alaska in May of 1981 having departed Fort Collins.  Jason was very friendly and outgoing and had arranged for an apartment for Judy and me to move into prior to our arrival, housing was tight.  This was something the landlord had never done before.
We had many adventurous experiences work together doing SNOTEL maintenance for which there is not space for the stories.
Jason introduced me to Pex pluming, the plastic tubing that worked well at our SNOTEL sites, easy to work with and does not crack if it freezes.  I just replaced some of my leaking copper tubing in my house with Pex.  Jason and Karen traded us wood stoves, and I still have and burn about 3 cords of wood annually through the Earth stove they gave us.
I still have the sourdough mix in my refrigerator Jason had introduced me into making sourdough pancakes and Belgian Waffles.  We have the State fair blue ribbon winning rhubarb he gave us; 6 plants that grow above our garden that have been divided a dozen times.  
However, the most important action Jason showed me was his Christian manors/actions before I became a Christian sharing office space and many motel rooms on Snow Survey maintenance trips.  He would read his Bible at night before sleep, refrained from swearing and drank very little if any.  He introduced us to a group of men and women (Jason and Karen), that showed me/us(Judy and me) what the right priorities were in life.  Jason was by my side when God grabbed me/my spirit and sent me forward on a Sunday morning in September 1984 and I confessed Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  As I sit here tearing up, I will always be eternally grateful for him/his example.
Karen, we (you and Jason, Judy and me) have been physically apart for many years not seeing each other but upon occasion, but you both were/are a big influence on us.
Rick, Judy, Ryan, Jerad, Wayne and Hannah

Heartfelt condolences to the Restad Family and friends.  The depth of my sadness is hard to convey.  I met Jason in 1996 when I came to work as a contractor at the NRCS in Fort Collins.  He was a very impressive individual and an absolute pleasure to work with.  His incisive intelligence and breadth of knowledge combined with a compassionate nature, generosity, sense of humor, and incredible work ethic meant that his contributions were always valuable and sought out.   

Jason had wide ranging interests, was full of ideas and information about new technology and concepts to be applied at the agency.  He had a rare ability to take complex concepts and explain them to a diverse audience creating a shared understanding.   Jason also had an emotional intelligence, unusual in someone so technical, that allowed him to understand the many quirky people we worked with, and connect with them in a productive manner. 

Jason's love of his family was very clear in the stories he shared about them.  He adored his wife Karen and missed her terribly whenever she was away and was so happy when she returned.  He was very proud of all his children.  He wanted each to forge their own path, but at the same time worried about how much advice he should offer them.  He told wonderful stories about growing up in Alaska.  He was very proud of his siblings, nieces and nephews and had interesting anecdotes about their adventures and achievements.  He was especially close to his nephew who worked with us at NRCS and also became a valuable and respected member of the team.  

I am so sorry for your loss and will keep you in my prayers.

OBITUARY

Jason Henry Restad

September 2, 1955 – November 19, 2023

Allnutt Funeral Service – Drake Road Chapel

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