John Kragthorpe

John Kragthorpe, of Savage (formerly of Jordan), passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 76. He will be missed by his loving family.

A Memorial Gathering will be held on Friday, January 24, 2025 from 4:00 – 6:00 PM. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 11:00 AM with visitation from 10:00 – 10:45 AM. All services will be held at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation (104 First Street West) in Jordan. Full military honors will be provided by the Jordan Vets Honor Guard, and his grandchildren, James and Ellie, will act as urn & flag bearers. John will be laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

On November 3, 1948, John Alan Kragthorpe was the second of seven children born to James & Dorothy (Beckman) Kragthorpe in Jordan, Minnesota. John loved growing up in Jordan and had fond memories of swimming in the Mill Pond and always enjoyed a sweet treat from his dad’s bakery. While in school, John met the love of his life, Monica Deutsch. He also played several sports, including baseball and football. In 1966, he graduated from Jordan High School. 

A few years after school, John began his service to our country. The Army deployed him to Germany where he worked with computers. During this time, John enjoyed traveling around Europe in his Volkswagen van. After four years of service, John was honorably discharged.

When he returned home, John and Monica exchanged wedding vows at St. Benedict Catholic Church on June 9, 1973. Over the years, they lived in Hopkins, St. Louis Park, Savage and New Hope, where they raised their two sons, Josh and Adam. As a family, they enjoyed many camping trips and family road trips to support the boys’ hockey teams. It was on these trips where John introduced the boys to many music greats, including the Beatles, the Traveling Wilburys and U2, to name just a few. 

John worked hard to provide a good life for his family. He spent more than 25 years at Park Nicollet where he was a computer operations manager. Shortly after his retirement, John was diagnosed with Leukemia and was blessed to receive a stem cell transplant in which his sister, Mary, was the donor. John was grateful for this gift of life, which allowed him to spend more time with family and pursue his hobbies. He loved gardening, hiking, biking, cross-country skiing and going on picnics with his family. John truly enjoyed the outdoors. He and Monica spent countless hours tending to their beautiful gardens together. He was an avid reader and loved driving around in his Mustang. John was also a wonderful grandpa. It brought him much joy attending the grandkids’ many sporting and school events, where he was always sure to spoil them with candy after. 

 John was a happy guy and always had a bright smile on his face. He was the life of the party and known for his fabulous mustache. He was loved by many and will be missed beyond words. John is survived by his wife, Monica Kragthorpe; sons, Josh (Victoria) Kragthorpe and Adam (Jill) Kragthorpe; grandchildren, Ellie, Mason, Alaina, James, Kane, Theo; siblings, Owen (Jeanette) Kragthorpe, Paul (Liz) Kragthorpe, Dave (Candy) Kragthorpe, Cheech (Rob) Jackson, Mark (Gail) Kragthorpe, Mary (Tres Tronvold) Glynn; other loving relatives and many friends. John is preceded by his parents, James & Dorothy Kragthorpe; sister-in-law, Diane Kragthorpe