John Marshall Gleason

John Marshall Gleason, 63, passed away at his home in Kansas City, Missouri, August 26, 2021.

John was born in Ottawa, Kansas, March 20, 1958, to Thomas E. Gleason, Sr. and Carolyn Carey Gleason. He graduated from Ottawa High School in 1976 and attended Baker University and the University of Kansas. He worked in business finance with Douglas Gleason Associates and later in personal finance and sales.

John was an accomplished musician, proficient particularly on trombone, saxophone, guitar and percussion. His musical tastes were broad, including jazz, rock, reggae and blues. He maintained an extensive collection of record albums, encompassing both familiar and obscure artists. In the mid-1980s, John hosted The Jazz Place on KCUR-FM.

As a teenager, John loved and cared for the family Saint Bernard, Barney. Later he was active for many years in animal welfare organizations including Kansas City Great Dane Rescue, transporting numerous dogs to new homes in the area. He adopted a number of Great Danes and other large rescue dogs as his own companions.

Family history was a continuing theme in John’s life, as he maintained contact with cousins in the western United States and with his parents’ family friends in Ottawa. He continued to communicate with a number of friends from his high school days and enjoyed recounting past activities with his older brother Tom.

John is survived by his brother and sister-in-law Tom Gleason, Jr. and Ann Gardner, and by his nephew Chris Gleason, all of Lawrence. He was preceded in death by his parents.

John’s family will meet with friends from 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, September 7, at Lamb-Roberts-Price Funeral Home, Ottawa. The family encourages visitors to respect each other’s safety through masking and appropriate social distancing. A private family graveside service is planned. The family suggests memorial contributions to an animal welfare organization of the donor’s choice, which can be sent c/o Lamb-Roberts-Price Funeral Home, P.O. Box 14, Ottawa, KS 66067. Condolences may be sent to the family through www.lamb-roberts.com.

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