John Wells Knowlton Jr.

John Wells Knowlton Jr.

1947-2026

John. Johnny. Big John. Best Husband. Amazing Dad. Papa. John Boy. Juan Grande. Water Out of Granite. Dead Weight, the nickname he earned while belaying his son on a climb. Our family’s MacGyver.

Depending on when and how you knew him, you may have called him something different. But no matter the name, you knew exactly who he was: a dependable man with a quick sense of humor, a generous heart, and an uncanny ability to solve problems and fix just about anything.

John Wells Knowlton Jr. was born on April 5, 1947, to John Wells “Jack” Knowlton and Maxine Watson Knowlton. He passed away peacefully on July 7, 2026, surrounded by his family in the home he built, raised his family in, and cherished with his wife, Sandy. His death followed a courageous journey through complications from dementia.

John was the steady presence people counted on, the person who made impossible problems seem manageable simply because he was there. If something broke, he fixed it. If there was a problem, he figured it out. If you needed help, you called John.

His family called him “Water Out of Granite” because he could find a solution where none seemed possible. Give him some wire, string, an old bolt, a random scrap of metal, a little time, and somehow he would make it work. He once brought a broken camper clutch back to life in the middle of nowhere using little more than ingenuity and whatever happened to be nearby. John never saw an obstacle. He saw a puzzle that needed figuring out.

John graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Business Management and was a proud member of Kappa Sigma. He later co-owned Knowlton Building with his father and built a career he genuinely loved. He believed in working hard, playing often, treating people fairly, and doing a job well. Customers became lifelong friends, and friends always knew they could count on him.

John loved adventure. He backpacked through Vietnam, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Europe. He explored ancient Mayan sites and roamed the Utah desert in search of Anasazi ruins and rock art. Later, he and Sandy traveled for months at a time in their fifth wheel, often with no firm destination and a shared determination to find the coolest places off the beaten path.

Sandy was the fearless navigator, always discovering hidden gems, secluded beaches, hot springs, fishing holes, unknown roads, and remote places most people would never think to visit. John was the one who quietly figured out how to get them there.

Whether they were boating on “Mellow Yellow,” camping beside a river, exploring ancient ruins, or traveling an unmarked road in the middle of nowhere, John and Sandy made the perfect team.

John was also a part owner of Adventure River Expeditions, where countless memories were made running rivers, laughing around camp, and singing ridiculous guitar songs beside the fire. The company slogan captured the spirit of those trips perfectly: “This Place Sucks, Let’s Stay.” The iconic Adventure River T-shirts can still be spotted today at Ray’s Tavern in Green River, Utah, a lasting piece of the adventures John loved so much.

He raced snowmobiles when he was younger, hunted ducks with his family and faithful dog, Boogie Woogie, loved to putter around his wood shop and treasured the family cabin, his favorite place on earth. He played tennis throughout his life after competing on the Olympus High School tennis team, enjoyed golf, proudly celebrated a hole-in-one, and, as a young man, won the Utah Boys’ Target Shooting Championship.

But the people who loved John would not begin with his career, travels, or accomplishments. They would tell you about his heart.

John was usually the quiet one in the room, but when he spoke, people listened and often got a good laugh. His humor arrived at exactly the right moment, usually when no one expected it. He was humble, dependable, always up for a good time, and funny without ever trying too hard.

He rarely missed an opportunity to show up for the people he loved. Ball games, school performances, concerts, recitals, plays, graduations, celebrations and family events if one of his children or grandchildren was involved, John was there.

More than anything, John loved Sandy.

They shared 55 years of marriage and were inseparable in the truest sense of the word. If you invited one of them somewhere, you invited both. John and Sandy came as a package deal.

They built more than a marriage. They built a friendship that became the foundation of their family. Together, they showed their children and grandchildren what loyalty, companionship, humor, adventure, and lasting love look like over a lifetime.

John is survived by his beloved wife, Sandy Knowlton; his daughter, Kelly Knowlton, her partner, Casey and her sons, Hawkins and Rocky; his son, John Knowlton III, his wife, Lennie, and their children, Bobby, Jack, and Jill; his sister, Jan Anderson, her husband, Gary, and their family; and countless lifelong friends whose lives were made better by knowing him.

John’s fingerprints are everywhere in the things he built, the places he explored, the lessons he taught, and the family and friends who will carry his stories forward.

Every time we solve a problem instead of giving up, take the scenic route just to see where it leads, gather at the cabin, float a river with friends, cheer from the sidelines, lend a hand because someone needs one, telling one of Dad’s stories, part of him will be with us.

John / Dad / Papa, we will miss you forever. We hope you are finding many new rivers to explore, fish to catch, mountains to wander, ducks flying at sunrise, ancient ruins waiting to be discovered, a cabin tucked into the trees, a great football game, a few impossible projects that need fixing, a place where Trump is not president, and a well earned Surly Sandy waiting at the end of the day.

Friends and family are invited to celebrate John’s incredible life on July 28 from 5:30–8:00 p.m. at Millcreek Inn (5802 E. Mill Creek Canyon Rd.) Come share a story, a laugh, and a favorite memory.