John Edward Counsell, Jr., 91, peacefully passed away in his sleep at home in Orem, Utah on February 20, 2019. John was born on a cold Sunday morning in Chicago, Illinois on February 12, 1928. An only child, his parents were John Edward Counsell, Sr. of Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and Amelia Mollie Markowitz of Chicago, Illinois. John was raised in Chicago, Illinois and Santa Monica, California during the Depression of 1929 and through World War II. As a very young child remembered his father holding him up to a window to witness the burning of the Chicago Stock Yards. He shared stories of witnessing, as a child of 5, breadlines, and men sitting on curbs begging and selling pencils, and other things of value. His father in his spare time made "gin" in the basement of the apartment building. His father's police friends were customers. As a child he suffered from Scarlet Fever and endured numerous infections and illnesses. Following the family's move to Santa Monica, he was enrolled in Ramsey Military School in Santa Monica. He attended Lincoln Junior High School, Santa Monica High School (SAMOHI) and graduated in June 1946. He played Trombone through school and ran track. John married Josephine (Jody) Horne on June 6, 1948 in Santa Monica. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1956. John and Jody were sealed in the Los Angeles Temple on June 6, 1958, on their 10th wedding anniversary. Over the course of eight years they were blessed with three girls and one boy. John was a loving and very involved husband and father, grandfather and great grandfather. He taught all of them the value of hard work, honesty and a love of the gospel and Jesus Christ. All of John's children believed he could do anything he put his mind to and that they had the best dad in the world. They could also call him their friend and his rolling eyes and whimsical grin were a part of every visit. He attended Santa Monica Technical College and learned machine shop. He also attended Pierce College in Reseda. John was employed for 20 years as a Nuclear Reactor Operator with North American Rockwell in Chatsworth, California. In 1971, when the industry suffered a downturn John moved his family to Orem, Utah in search for work. There he found employment with Signetics in Orem until he retired in 1993. He operated a small electronic repair shop out his home for many years following his retirement. He was always occupied with a new project, particularly being called in frequently to assist his children in various projects in their homes. John was an avid fisherman, train enthusiast, boater and camper who loved "his" Timpanogos Mountain, which he viewed every day from his living room window. He also loved a perfectly manicured lawn and a driveway and sidewalk without a particle of dirt or grass visible – he was a perfectionist in all he did. He is survived by his sweetheart of 70 years, Josephine (Jody) Horne Counsell. His children, Carol Sapp (Chris), Candy Parkinson (Lloyd), Tami Stanley (Mark), and John Counsell III (Leslie Ewell), 17 grandchildren and 35 great grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at 12:00 pm at the Walker-Sanderson Funeral Home located at 646 E. 800 North, Orem, Utah. The family will visit with friends and loved ones prior to the funeral from 10:30 – 11:30 am. Dedication of the grave will follow at the Orem Cemetery. Memories may be shared, and condolences offered to the family online at www.walkersanderson.com .