John Lewis Whisenand, 61

John Lewis Whisenand, 61, of Whitefish, formerly of Eagan, Minnesota, passed away at home on Sept. 8, 2015, surrounded by his loving family after a two-year battle with cancer.

John is survived by his parents, Fred and Coral; his loving wife of 41 years, Tracey; four sons and three daughters-in-law, Shawn and Bridgette, Paul and Sonja, Thomas, and David and Katie; five grandchildren; and his loving brother and sisters, Fritz, Barbara and Nancy.

John was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 1954 and graduated from Williston High School in 1972. After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 1977, John flew for OK Aviation and Real West Airlines in Bismarck. In 1981, John was hired by Northwest Airlines where he spent 25 years flying and instructing on the B727, B757, A320 and A330 aircraft. After retiring in 2007, John continued his instructing career with CAE Inc.

John and Tracey moved to Whitefish in 2008 where they loved to golf, ski, raft and hike in the surrounding mountains.

John was most proud of his four sons, who through hard work earned college degrees and are very successful in their careers. Shawn is an airline pilot, Paul a manager at an energy company, Thomas owns a brewery, and David is an attorney. He also adored his grandchildren, Alyssa, Macy, Beck, Nolan and Arthur.

John would like to thank those who cared for him during his illness, especially Drs. Harris, Anderes and Carlburg, physician’s assistant Carrie Thompson and nurse Lois.

John would also like to thank Bible Study Fellowship, his spiritual mentor Rick Drenk of Minneapolis, and Pastors John and Ralph of Christ Lutheran Church whose love and prayers blessed him over the last two years. John’s faith in Christ was strong, and he wants everyone to know he is alive and well in heaven.

Finally, he would like to thank God for the many incredible sunrises, sunsets, and awe-inspiring displays of stars he was so blessed to see during night flights over the Atlantic. As the Bible says in the Psalms, “The heavens declare the glory of God.”

A service for John will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at Christ Lutheran Church in Whitefish.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Glacier National Park Conservancy.

Austin Funeral Home is caring for John’s family.