John J Harper

John J “Jack” Harper

John J Harper was born on July 15, 1933 to Opal J and Marvin R Harper in Blackfoot, Idaho. He was the second of their seven children, and he grew up on a farm in the Rose area. Jack was a very good student and graduated from Blackfoot High School. He was one of five students in the first graduating class of Brigham Young University College of Engineering. He has remained a loyal “Cougar” from that time and served on the BYU Scholarship Committee.

Jack married Carolyn Hill in the Idaho Falls Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on July 29, 1953. They are the parents of ten children, Marvin (Cherie) Harper-deceased, Marianne (Don) Ballash of South Jordan, Utah, Janalyn (Fred) Kesler of Meridian,Idaho, Howard (Sheri) Harper-deceased, Carolee (Stewart) Smith of Blackfoot, Melodee (Mike) Trentman of Auburn California, Steven (Jennifer) Harper of Provo, Utah, David (Elaine) Harper of Gig Harbor, Washington, Rebecca (David) Crockett of Oakely, Utah, and Matthew (Cristall) Harper of American Fork, Utah. Jack and Carolyn have 51 grandchildren and 74 great-grandchildren.

After college, Jack worked as a civil engineer for the City of Los Angeles before returning to Idaho to work as Blackfoot City Engineer and Bingham County Engineer. He owned Harper-Leavitt Engineering in Blackfoot where his greatest joy was having his oldest son, Marvin as a partner. He designed many bridges and structures in Idaho, California, Wyoming and Utah. He was a longstanding member of the Blackfoot Rotary Club.

Jack served as a Bishop of the Blackfoot Second Ward and as a counselor in the Blackfoot South Stake Presidency and then the Blackfoot East Stake Presidency. He was a Stake Patriarch and he and Carolyn served in the Idaho Falls Temple for many years. They worked as missionaries in the Capetown South Africa Mission and the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors Center. He was a great man, loved and missed by many.