John Marlyn Kulstad

John was born in Anaheim, California to Joanne Warren and John B. Kulstad. John’s father later married Lois Perkins who raised John and his little brother Jim along with his step brother, Mark Kulstad from his early childhood. He enjoyed an active childhood in California biking, camping and enjoying nature on vacations with his many cousins. John’s father remarried again to Patricia Thomas and he was delighted to gain his younger sister, Kerry.

He married Theresa Kulstad in Alexandria in the spring of 1995 and they shared a home in Annandale since. This marriage was his 2nd marriage to someone named Theresa.

John received a degree in broadcast engineering and later enjoyed his career with PBS National Datacast being their Director of Operations as a broadcast engineer and troubleshooter for their networks. John’s 20 + years of employment at PBS ended due to his diagnosis of Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease.

John and Theresa enjoyed a life of live music, festivals and their love of animals. John was an audiophile and an avid collector of music in various genres but he had a special interest in the work and life of Jimi Hendrix. In addition to his music, he collected films and books on both topics. John was an expert homeowner who loved the challenge of a DYI project.

John lived a healthy lifestyle rollerblading and biking the various trails in the DMV area but he especially loved starting a trail in Virginia and ending up in D.C. because he loved the city, riding around its monuments and made sure he didn’t miss any discoveries in any of the area record stores.

In spite of Alzheimer’s, the end chapter of John’s life was a happy one. He had a fan club of friends and caregivers that kept him smiling and laughing until the end. John is survived by all of his parents, siblings and his wife.

A celebration of John will be determined at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

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