Born on October 9, 1942, John left this world on July 28, 2021, the same way he lived his life: on his terms. After becoming exhausted with the “whack a mole” process in his body, addressing one symptom and then immediately having two more pop up, John told his family and his doctors he was done, and he asked that we let him go.

John by all reports was a juvenile delinquent, was once kicked out of high school, and was well-known to local law enforcement for stealing cars and other acts of vagrancy. He later became a driver of race cars, participating in numerous races, including the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. His ample experience in running from the police no doubt aided him in this endeavor. He eventually got his act together and attended Colorado State University, then the University of California at Berkley, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work and a reputation for championing the poor and under-represented. He returned to Fort Collins and worked for social service agencies before opening his own psychotherapy practice and eventually founding the Family Development Center. For more than forty years John continued to practice, earning a well-deserved reputation as a tough, honest, and intractable promotor of youth and adult psychological peace and well-being. He was straight-forward and direct in his interactions with others, and you could rely upon him to tell you his honest impressions and not just what you wanted to hear. He eschewed almost all conventional guidelines for a healthy lifestyle, and would frequently tell those of us who promoted exercise and sensible diet that we were going to die anyway. He was also a loyal friend, an avid gardener, a talented woodworker, and, most of all, the anchor for our family.

After a couple of trial runs at marriage, the third time was the charm for John when he married Coreen Boeding in 1988. Together they loved to golf, play Scrabble (brutally and even savagely competitive Scrabble games were the norm for our house) and spend time with family and friends. Son Sean and his wife Melissa, grandkids Connor and Katy, sister Norma, brother Bruce, brother-in law Ted and nieces Lexi and Lyndsy, as well as several cousins, nieces and nephews were all incredibly lucky to call John and Coreen family.

John sucked at golf, but played it with an intensity that was at once hilarious and slightly dangerous. Thrown clubs were the norm, as was as a vocabulary that was as varied as it was profane. His friends at the Estes Park Golf Club and Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins will miss him greatly, and will secretly thank Providence that they no longer need to be ready to duck should they be on an adjacent hole as John sliced the ball into their fairway….. again.

John was an avid angler. His ashes will be stored in his old tackle box- a fitting resting place for a man who spent countless hours and days roaming the rivers and streams of Northern Colorado. Like most anglers, he didn’t care as much for the fish as he did the solitude and the room to breathe and think. Those who knew him best will tell you how wise he was- his conversation was, truly, priceless. This wisdom was developed along Fish Creek, the North Fork, the Laramie River, or anywhere there was running water and no people. Fish were always a secondary consideration.

John played professional baseball between 1961-1963 but, much like his son and then grandson, couldn’t hit. He was a 140 pound slick-fielding shortstop who, if nothing else, imparted his love and endless knowledge of baseball to his entire family, and to this day liked nothing more than playing, coaching, umpiring, or just taking in a ball game. Unless it’s the Rockies. John gave up on them years ago.

Please remember John with a smile as you mutter your favorite curse words in response to an errant golf shot, the Broncos quarterback “du jour,” people who drive too slow, and having your computer reconfigured overnight by unsolicited updates.

We are still stunned and overwhelmed by our loss and have not yet determined what happens next, and at some point we will organize a gathering in his honor. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the True Blue Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides grants and gifts to Northern Colorado Agencies that offer direct services to youth experiencing physical or emotional trauma in their lives. For more information or to make a donation to this agency, please visit www.thetruebluefoundation.org. True Blue was near and dear to his heart, and they won’t inundate you with requests for further donations or enough address labels to wallpaper a small room in your home. We would also be very grateful for any memories or anecdotes you are willing to share on the Allnutt website.

Though wonderfully educated and incredibly accomplished, the sophisticated urbane gentleman (until he grew that damn pony tail) that many saw retained much of the 140 pound gutter rat of his youth. He was fiercely independent, and unapologetic for his liberal views and unbridled compassion for others. He was relentless in his love and support of his family and friends, and unwavering in his absolute determination to continue smoking, drinking, and eating ice cream for dinner. He did things his way, and asked nothing of anyone except to love him for who he was.