John William Oiwn
Obituaries
Daily Sentinal page 5C - March 13, 2022
John William
Oien
May 27, 1943 - March 7, 2022
John William Oien,
age 78, died peacefully at
home, with daughters and
wife by his side, on March
7, 2022.
John was a loving
example of the importance
of faith in Jesus to his family. John 10:27-28 are words
he would strongly adhere too: “My sheep listen to my
voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them
eternal life and they shall never perish; no one will
snatch them out of my hand.”
John was born May 27, 1943, in Long Beach,
California, to Paul and Kathryn “Hoffman” Oien.
He studied Landscape Architecture at California
Polytechnic University graduating with a degree in
Environmental Design with an option in Landscape
Architecture.
During his 37-year career with the United States Forest
Service, John worked on nine forests in California,
Nevada, Idaho, and Colorado, spending the last 24
years on the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison
National Forests. He provided technical support in
landscape design, aesthetics, interpretation, forest
planning, recreation facility planning and recreation
budgeting. John was dedicated to preserving the
National Forests while helping the public enjoy outdoor
recreation. He was recognized for his service, including
his participation in creating the Scenic Byway System
in Colorado with a Congressional Record Tribute.
He met his love, Jenifer Bjelke, and they married June
5, 1976. They made their home in Idaho where they
finished building the house John designed. They moved
to Delta, Colorado in 1979.
John enjoyed family, school sports, church activities,
singing, and the Sons of Norway cooking club. He
was an active member of the Lutheran Church. He
believed what saved him is his faith in Jesus Christ as
his Lord and Savior. He loved spending time on hobbies
including model building, photography, wood carving,
needle crafts - crewel, wood working, gardening, stamp
collecting, and genealogy.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul
and Kathryn Oien; and is survived by wife, Jenifer;
daughters, Julie (Mark) Orth, and Janet Oien; son, Jens
(Emily) Oien; grandchildren, Elsa, Katherine, Jakob,
Kari, Nicholas, and Soren; brothers, Wendell (Eileen)
Oien, and Keith (Kathleen) Oien, and many nieces,
nephews and cousins.
A funeral service will be March 14, at 10:00 a.m., at
Messiah Lutheran Church in Grand Junction, CO. A
grave service will follow at Palisade Cemetery.
In place of flowers, gifts may be given to Messiah
Lutheran Church School
