John Imel was born in San Diego on February 21, 1946 to Ethel DeVol and Kenneth Imel.He died with his loving wife, Anne, and family and friends at his side on June 8, 2011.
John received his BA in political science at the University of Redlands, and earned an MA in linguistics at the University of Southern California.
An important time in John's life was his service in the Peace Corps, which he spent in Afghanistan. He made life-long friends there.
After completing his education and Peace Corps service, John taught English as a second language at the university level.
He then joined the staff at First United Methodist Church, San Diego (FUMC). Through his creativity and willingness to take on new challenges, John started a church print shop. His skill as a graphic artist soon became apparent, and along with the Outlook, the church's weekly publication, John designed beautiful posters and brochures.
His role expanded to Director of Communications, and in this capacity he developed and maintained a church Web site.
John was a man of many interests. He read widely, on subjects from poetry to science. John also loved to hike the Sierras, and, with a special group of friends, had a four-year plan for completing the John Muir Trail. They completed the first leg last summer.
Always a gifted photographer, recently John became interested in videography and editing. His professional quality productions delighted family and friends.
John is survived by his wife Anne, and his cousins including David DeVol and Roberta Stayrook.
A memorial service to celebrate John's life will be held at FUMC, 2111 Camino del Rio South, San Diego, CA 92108, July 30th at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John's name to FUMC.
| June 24, 2011 | |
| • | John's video for the Franklin Elementary 80th reunion brought tears of joy and laughter to the more than 400 attendees and his generosity in making duplicates that were sold to benefit Franklin will never be forgotten. His work was very creative and helped many people relive memories of their time at Franklin. We will always be grateful for his work. We will miss him! |
| Dixie Blake, San Diego, California |
| July 03, 2011 | |
| • | We will all miss John. He's been a part of the church for his entire life. He touched every part of the church and served on so many committees. We worked together on so many projects for the United Methodist Men and the retreats they had. I enjoyed visiting with him about his trips and I enjoyed his video's. He will be missed by so many in the church. |
| Dave Watters, San Diego, California |
| July 03, 2011 | |
| • | John was a man of great depths and many interests and talents. Truly, the epitome of "Still Waters Run Deep". Our friendship dates back virtually all of our lives as we literally grew up together with the nurturing friendships we all gained at First United Methodist Church. John left us much too soon. We weren't done with him yet. |
| Bruce Johnson, San Diego, California |
| July 04, 2011 | |
| • | John was a person with a sweet spirit and who worked hard for the benefit of others. Many of us miss him. |
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| July 05, 2011 | |
| • | Thank you, John, for so many years of faithful, kind service to First Church. All of us who have worked with you remember you. And there are many, many of us! |
| Gail Fuller, San Diego, California |
