John Lewis Bliss

John was born on October 21, 1928, in Redmond, Oregon, and was the second of five sons born to Philip Bliss and Emily Wooley. He was raised in the Salvation Army Church. The Bliss family lived off and on in Yakima Washington from 1935 until 2020.

In February 1946, John joined the United States Marines. He was very proud of his service on the US Valley Forge Airline Carrier.

John often wore his red baseball cap that said, “US Marines”. People would gather around him wherever he went and thank him for his service.

After serving in the Marines, he lived and worked in Philadelphia and got his GED. When his father got sick, John returned to Yakima.

John loved cars and would remember bits of his life by the cars that he owned at the time. He worked at a gas station after the war and met Margaret Van Amburg. He stated, “One of the cars that came in regular was a 1939 Buick Coupe. It caught my attention because it seemed to come in more often than usual. So I proceeded to get to know the driver, Miss Margaret Van Amburg.” They married in August of 1952. Their only child, Rebecca Lee was born in 1953.

Margaret and John divorced. John moved to Seattle where he met Colleen Grace Carlsson and on November 25, 1955, they married at a Church in Lewiston, Idaho. The couple continued to live in the Seattle area where John worked at Boeing. In 1970, they then moved to Yakima, Washington where John worked at Sears and received an award for being the best salesman in the Appliance Department.

John and Colleen had good friends in the American Legion with whom they often camped and fished. John and Colleen liked to dance, sing, and travel together. They would visit relatives in Arizona and California annually. They traveled to Alaska, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and even to Colleen’s ancestor’s home in Denmark.

John and Colleen shared a wonderful sixty-five years until she passed on in 2020.

John reconnected with his daughter, Rebecca, at a Bliss family reunion in 2002. This was the first time she and her husband, Dan, had met John. Over the following 20+ years, John got to know Rebecca’s children and grandchildren.

In 2020, John moved to Highland Glen Assisted Living in Highland, Utah to be closer to family. All of the family members developed a fond connection with him. He enjoyed dinners and family trips with Rebecca, Dan, and all of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, which included cruises, train rides, and road trips.

John is known for his kindness and happy countenance. He had a quick smile for everyone. When introducing himself, he would often say, “My name is John Bliss, like, ‘Happiness is Bliss’”.

John will surely be missed by his family, the community at Highland Glen, and those privileged to have known him.

He is survived by his daughter, Rebecca Kitchen (Dan), 5 grandchildren and their spouses, and 16 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, brothers, and his wife, Colleen.

A memorial will be held March 30, 2024 at 11 AM at Highland Glen Assisted Living, 10322 North 4800 West, Highland, Utah 84003.