On March 3, 2022, we lost our son, father, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend, John Page, age 40 of Des Moines, Iowa. John was born on September 17, 1981. He grew up in the outskirts of Beaverdale along with his older brother, Graham and older sister, Gwen. He described his childhood home as having a great yard with woods and a creek. John attended Des Moines public schools and earned an Associate’s Degree at D.M.A.C.C. He worked for UPS and Hy Vee distribution centers.
As John grew up, his family went on many fishing, camping and skiing trips with both extended family and close family friends. Adventures included fishing at Lake of the Woods, camping trips to Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone National Parks and skiing in Colorado. A love for the outdoors was always part of John’s life.
John was father to Owen Robert Page, born May 7, 2012 and Abigail Grace Page born July 2, 2014. He described the time with his children as the happiest time of his life. A proud Dad, he was full of love for his kids and enjoyed taking them on outdoor adventures. Wanting to share the experience of camping with his son, John took Owen on his first camping trip before he was 2 years old. The children gave John a renewed focus on life and the decisions and things he did, which made all of us proud, were always centered around a desire to be the best Dad that John could be for Owen and Abigail.
In high school, his life-long love for music began. According to his Journal, he attended 123 Phish shows. He was a very early “Scamper” having attended 18 Summer Camps, an annual music festival in Illinois. John was also one of the few in his generation who saw the original Grateful Dead live.
John was blessed with creativity and his doodling was spectacular. He wrote his first 42- page graphic novel called The Birds vs. the Monsters and Cloud Men while he was in elementary school. He continued to draw throughout his life and his caricatures were always amusing.
John enjoyed computer games and his parents and siblings nicknamed him “Game Boy”. He took pride in being at the cutting edge of new gaming technology and always enjoyed a good game of “tendo” with the kids. Owen says “He was a really nice person and super fun.” John played disc golf in City parks and erected his own disc golf basket at home. He also played golf and swam at Hyperion Field Club and participated in youth sports.
An Iowa native, John was an avid Iowa Hawkeyes fan, could gobble an entire dozen ears of Iowa Sweet Corn and would eat his way through the Iowa State Fair. He also enjoyed trips to the Dahlberg family farm.
John was immediately likeable. He was a friend to many and always ready to help, even at his own expense. He was kind, quick-witted and hilarious. He was a kid at heart and loved taking on an adventure with passion you don’t often see.
Our family asks that you understand that no one is immune to the struggles of addiction and the epidemic of the opioid crisis in our culture today. The day John died, we all lost a piece of our lives that will never be able to be replaced, but we find solace that he is now at peace and the wounds caused by alcohol and drug addiction can begin to heal.
John is preceded in death by his Grandparents: Gwen and Robert Dahlberg; Elizabeth and Robert Page; and Margery Surbaugh.
He is survived by his children Owen and Abigail Page, his father Greg (Christine) Page and birth mother Juliann Dahlberg and siblings Gwen Page (Sean Stratton) and Graham (Tammy) Page. Uncles and Aunts: Bob Dahlberg; Jean Spikes (Steve); Barbara (Jeff) Engelmann; Marta Walker(Joseph);Mary Donovan (Kirk); and; Gil Page (Kate) and all of their respective children as cousins. John was also Uncle to 3 nephews and 2 nieces.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions for the Owen and Abigail Page Fund may be sent to Juliann Dahlberg, 1445 W 73rd Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64114.
A private family ceremony will be held at Dunn’s Funeral Home. Condolences may be sent to www.IlesCares.com. John will be inurned at Glendale Cemetery, Des Moines. A public celebration of life for John is anticipated later this Spring.
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Published by Legacy on Mar. 13, 2022.