Obituary of A. John Pearson

Arthur John “A. John” Pearson, 86, of Lindsborg passed away Wednesday, July 19, 2023. A. John was born December 14, 1936 in North Platte NE to the late Arthur Bernard and the late Hilma Matilda (Johnson) Pearson. He married Carol Ann Leischner on June 18, 1966 at Jacksonville, IL which set their path together of 57 years of intertwined travel, service, learning, and exploration, primarily centered in, around, and for Lindsborg, Kansas. A. John embedded with Lindsborg and Bethany College immediately upon arriving as Director of College Relations following a similar position at Illinois College (Jacksonville, IL). Together with a dynamic team at the College, Bethany established itself as a center for music, arts, sports, and learning. A. John earned a Master’s Degree from Boston University and worked over three decades at Bethany College as an administrator in college relations, sports information, and archives. A. John and Carol have been members of Bethany Lutheran Church in Lindsborg since 1970 arriving in, as he proudly often shared, “Little Sweden, U.S.A.”. In Lindsborg, he remained active and supported the Kiwanis Club, Hyllningsfest Festival, Midsummer’s Day, Swedish-Scandinavian Association of the Great Plains, Messiah Festival, Bethany College sports, and many other community organizations. With Carol, they facilitated hundreds of foreign exchange students to Kansas as area representatives of the American-Scandinavian Student Exchange program and made lifetime friends. Using his skills in public relations for sports and involvement with the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) on behalf of Bethany College took much of his time and focus, sending news releases and answering questions from sports writers across the state. A voice perhaps honed by the Gustavus Choir, A. John (GAC `59) provided live sports announcements at hundreds of Bethany College home football and basketball games. A. John was recognized as the Recipient of the Clarence "Ike" Pearson Award from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) which he also gave many hours of professional and quality support. Sundays for many years included selection of `KCAC District 10 Player of the …” which may or may not have been influenced by his children on certain weeks. Writing, printing, and journalism were central to his core as he provided editing and other support to many publications and authors such as Emory Lindquist’s `Bethany in Kansas’. He operated summer Yearbook in cooperation with Jostens and an annual newspaper workshop for high school students hosted at Bethany for many years. There was a time when Carol served as Continuing Education Director at Bethany that, for those summers, the two of them both lived and breathed Bethany. When driving a `73 Chrysler New Yorker or some such similar hulk of American metal, his CB handle (when such a thing was en vogue in the 70’s) was `Blue Scribe.’ Publications and mailings were always around, including acquisition to the house of a printing press and addressograph machine at their home. Both were used in actual mass mailings that were `All Pearson’s’ on deck efforts for sorting and taking advantage of USPS bulk mailing requirements. He took a `belts and suspenders’ approach to not only wardrobe, but also documenting and scheduling events and activities, with those on his contact list receiving complete and thorough information. Survivors include his beloved wife: Carol, of the home; sons: Clay Pearson (Jennifer), of Pearland, TX and Jay Pearson (Candace), of Carrolton, TX; daughter: Lynn Reazin (Timothy) of Eudora, KS; sister: Irene Nielsen of Lindsborg; as well as grandchildren: Ashton and Joshua Pearson and Caleb, Ezekiel, Nathaniel, and Gabriel Reazin; as well as nieces, nephew, extended family members, and friends from Gourmet Club to bridge club and beyond. He played with trains with grandkids such as Caleb, attended Ashton’s swim meets, and followed all their accomplishments (also sharing prolifically on social media when that replaced CB radio as social media). Extended family included people like the Chester and Sharon Bruce family that shared many, many meals and activities (there will be no leftovers!). He enjoyed traveling with Carol to Nordstrom family reunions and was very proud of the accomplishments of his family. A. John was preceded in death by his parents and grandson: Shane Gabriel Reazin. Visitation will be Friday, July 21 from 5-7 PM at Crick-Christians Funeral Home, 103 N. Washington, Lindsborg, KS. The funeral will be held 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 22 at Bethany Lutheran Church, 320 N. Main St., Lindsborg, KS with Pastor Chris Deines officiating. Burial will follow at Elmwood Cemetery, Lindsborg. Friends and family are invited to join in fellowship for lunch back at Bethany Lutheran Church after interment. Memorials may be made to the Messiah Festival Foundation at Bethany College. Memorials may be sent in care of Crick-Christians Funeral Home, 103 N. Washington, Lindsborg, KS 67456.