Dec. 26, 1942 – Dec. 11, 2021
John Preston Kohl, 78, of St. George lost his battle for life on Dec. 11, 2021 after a brief illness. Having overcome several serious threats to his health, he was blessed with 11 more years of time on this earth enjoying every minute of it. John was born to Claude E. and Edna Kohl in Allentown, PA on Dec. 26, 1942, the third of four children. He married Nancy Christensen, also of Allentown. Together, they celebrated 54 years of a loving marriage.
John was raised in Allentown, and graduated from Allentown High School and Moravian College. He earned a divinity degree from Yale Divinity School, and later, a Ph.D. in Business at Pennsylvania State University. He had three callings in life. The first was to become a minister, the second to serve as a chaplain in the Armed Forces, and the third to be a teacher.
He began by serving two churches as a young minister in the United Church of Christ, Christ Congregational Church in New Smyrna Beach, Florida and the First Congregational Church in Hutchinson, Minnesota before he was allowed to follow his dream of entering the Army Chaplaincy where after serving both active and reserved duty, he retired at the rank of Colonel.
He began his teaching career in 1982 with an academic position far from home at the University of Texas El Paso. During his tenure, he also held both teaching and administrative positions at Texas A&M International University, University of Nevada Las Vegas, San Jose State University and California State University East Bay, where he retired as Dean of the Business School. After some consideration, he and Nancy added another state to call home when they chose St. George, Utah, for their retirement years.
John’s favorite pastime was to travel the world in style onboard a cruise ship. He enjoyed a close-up view of many a foreign port as the ship sailed into harbor. He especially loved sharing several of those voyages with his children. Next on his list was Penn State football. To his great regret, he was unable to attend another home game at Beaver Stadium, but he never missed a televised one.
True to his vocation as a business professor, John liked to follow the stock market and oversee his investments. Most of all, he wanted to provide a secure life for his family. He also cherished many lifetime friendships he made through the years. John’s mark in life will be remembered by many who knew him. He attended Grace Episcopal Church in St. George, and was a member of the Southwest Conference United Church of Christ as well as the American Legion and Bloomington Country Club.
John is survived by his wife Nancy and son Mark as well as brother Richard Kohl and wife Mary, sister Cynthia Kohl, sister-in-law Lenore Kohl, nephews Claude Kohl III, Richard Kohl Jr., Andrew Michael Theilacker, and Matthew Boyer, nieces Laurie Christman, Sherri Marks, Mary Elizabeth Sauerman, Deborah Blauch, Rebecca Falcone, Jennifer Theilacker, and Kristen Risser. Preceding him in death were his parents, son John Jr. and brother Claude Jr.
Services for John will be held Thursday, Jan. 6, at 11 a.m. at Grace Episcopal Church, 1072 E. 900 S., St. George. A military service will be held at a later date. Friends and family are invited to a celebration of life at the Kohl home following the church service.
Arrangements are made under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S Bluff Street, St. George, Utah. 435-673-2454. Family and friends are invited to sign John’s online guest book at www.spilsburymortuary.com