John Andrew Hare, a loving husband and father, devoted educator, and lifelong learner passed away in McMinnville, OR on Saturday, October 25, 2025 at the age of 81.

John was born on April 1st, 1944 in Philadelphia, PA to John Hare and Frieda Tluck. John’s mother Frieda passed away when he was only three years old. His father tried to keep the family together, but ultimately John was separated from his sister Marcia and placed into the care of various families. John lived with 6 different families over the course of his childhood, before finally finding the Caldwell family who, though unrelated, raised John as their own son.

John attended the Blue Mountain Academy in Hamburg, PA from 1958-1961 where he worked on the local dairy farm to pay for his education. He was elected the 1961 Senior Class President. He met his future bride Nancy when they were assigned seats next to each other in Ms. Wilson’s Pennsylvania History class. On his birthday in 1960, John’s girlfriend at the time sent him a card breaking up with him, Nancy witnessed this while seated next to John and they began a lifelong bond. On August 8, 1965, they were married in East Rutherford, NJ. They were married for 60 years.

John’s education was extensive and an important part of his life. He earned his Bachelors in Zoology from Andrews University in 1967 and a BS in Biology from Eastern Washington University in 1972. After finding his calling in microbiology from his Professor Sid Kasuga, he earned a PhD in Immunology and Microbiology from University of Montana in 1975 and then completed a Post Doctoral Fellowship in Clinical and Experimental Immunology from the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, MD in 1977.

John worked just about every type of job throughout his life, from dairy farming, gas station attendant, building picnic tables at a lumber mill, selling religious books door to door, window washer, a teacher’s assistant, and even taught high school science for three years. One memorable moment in his long work experience was working at the Blue Mountain Dairy. On his first day, John was instructed to 'bring home the cows' for milking. Not knowing the proper procedure, he nearly caused a stampede, with the cows running down the hill with full udders. Luckily the dairy herdsmen were able to tame the situation. At that moment John’s life could have turned out differently, he could have been fired from his new job and not able to continue his education; but one of the herdsmen named Carl Pleier gave him a second chance. He built the rest of his life on that second chance.

John’s career spanned 30 years where he taught at Linfield University in McMinnville, OR as Professor of Biology from 1977 to 2006. He was a beloved teacher and leader, gaining recognition as a Faculty Trustee, Chair of the General Education and Long Range Planning Committees. He was instrumental in planning Linfield’s new science building named Murdoch Hall which opened in 1982.

In his retirement John volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and United Way, giving back his time to help others. He was an avid train and airplane buff, a model builder, and built a miniature model railroad in his home. John and Nancy loved travelling, they traveled extensively across the USA and Canada and had memorable trips in Europe and China.

John battled a rare kidney disease named Complement 3 Glomerulopathy (C3G). John is survived by his devoted wife Nancy; his sister Marcia; his sons Eric and Brian; daughter-in-law Irene; and grandchildren Drew, Amelia, Evelyn, and Daniel.

A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, April 11, 2026, additional details will be provided at a later date. In lieu of flowers or gifts please consider a donation to one of the following organizations:

National Kidney Foundation:

https://support.kidney.org/ca…

McMinnville Habitat for Humanity:

https://machabitat.charitypro…

Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum:

https://wl.donorperfect.net/w…

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