John Estes

A sailor, Fulbright scholar, philosopher and lover of education, John T. Estes died June 22 at his home outside of Lawrence.

John worked at Saint mary's College in Leavenworth, where he was the assistand to the President and he created and ran the college's outreach education program including the prison. He retired from Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio where he was a successful grant writer and developer of new programs.

He never tired of teaching, learning and promoting education to anyone willing to listen. The eldest of four children of Margaret and John K. Estes, John was often a quiet supoorter of his family. As a KU student, he returned home from Germany when studying abroad to supoort his family when his parents divorced while completing his doctorate. He cared for his mother and her home when her life was upended by Hurricane Katrina. John is survived by his wife of 35 years, Kathleen; his brother Greg; sister jennifer Heflin; his children John D. Estes and Amy Estes Robertson; and granddaughters Myla and Tessa Nover-Estes and Eiley and Sophia Robertson. He will be greatly missed.