John C. Pahl

January 24, 1943 - September 20, 2020

January 24, 1943-- September 20, 2020 John Carrol Pahl, a loving dad, passed away at his home in Traverse City on Sunday, the 20th of September, at the age of 77. John was the son of William and Arla Rose Pahl, and was born on January 24th, 1943. He shared his birthday with his father. He was the middle of five children, Bill, Julie, Mike, and Pam. They lived at a house on Nona St. in Dearborn. He had many fond memories of growing up in that house with his family, even the cherry tree in the front yard that nurtured his love for cherries. He had many adventures in the neighborhood with friends that stayed together through high school, college and beyond. He attended college at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. During that time, he fell in love, married, and graduated with a master’s degree in language and literature, before moving to Chicago with his wife to begin their teaching careers. After about a year in Chicago, John accepted an offer to teach in the Communications department at Northwestern Michigan College. He remained there for 48 years, and helped countless students develop their skills in reading and writing. He was also a coach for NMC’s cross country and tennis teams. The highlights of John’s tenure at NMC would most likely have been his participation in the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program, where he spent a year Germany and had sabbaticals at Cambridge University and Oxford University. Throughout the years, John enjoyed being active in local and regional literary groups. He was a member of the Michigan Writers, and edited a number of books for Mission Point Press. John’s passion for creative writing was matched by his love of all things outdoors. He was a sailor, and anytime the wind was right he would want to be on the water. He cherished his time spent out on the water with his daughter Liz. He also loved the Boardman River; fishing with friends, canoeing, camping, and hiking along its shores. But he would save the opening day of trout season for a trip with his brother, Mike, to Sugar Creek in Gladwin, which flowed through old family property. Though he was not a performer, he enjoyed playing piano, and fooling around on the guitar, mandolin, harmonica, and steel drums. He successfully raised three families. He is survived by his three children John, Bruce, and Liz who love and miss him very much and siblings Bill, Mike and Pam. As active as he was in all things, his greatest love was for his children. He will be loved and missed by all who knew him. Memorial contributions in his honor may be directed to the Cowell Family Cancer Center. The memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2020 at 11:00 with visitation beginning one hour prior at the Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home.Please be respectful of social distancing. Masks are required. Please share your memories and condolences at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com.