In Memoriam: John C. Conklin

It is with great sadness that we share news of the passing of longtime CST friend John C. Conklin. John and his spouse, CST’s Distinguished Pastor-in-Residence and two-time alumna, the Rev. Dr. Faith Conklin, have been connected to the school for more than 50 years.

CST President Jeffrey Kuan shared, “I got to know John when I came to CST in 2013. Faith was then serving as the senior pastor of First United Methodist Church of Escondido, and when she retired from the local church, I invited her to serve as our Distinguished Pastor-in-Residence. John was around the campus very often with Faith and participated in the life of the school. He loved the church and CST.”

Born on June 24, 1941, in Jackson, Michigan, John earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Physics and a second Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. His primary career was in Aerospace and Computer systems. He was a lifelong Methodist and a lifelong learner with a passion for Church history and the writings of John Wesley.

Bishop Grant Hagiya of the California-Pacific Conference of The United Methodist Church recalled a recent memory of John involving the Course of Study, which Faith directs. “John was a layperson and not interested in the Local Pastor track, but he really wanted to study under some of our instructors. So, he took classes that interested him. The one I remember is Church history, which is a subject that most lay folks would not be interested in. John reveled in this class and with the professor, Catherine Tuell.”

John was also a prolific writer and storyteller — even penning several screenplays and short stories. He belonged to a writing group and loved attending live performances. He played tennis, chess, checkers, and card games, and was a world traveler with an incredible sense of humor.

John died on May 18, 2021. He is survived by his wife; his daughters Charity-Jean (Sean Adams) and Joyanna (Jon Sanchez); and his grandchildren, Janelle, Jonas, and Seraphina. His surviving family also includes his sister Molly Turner, his niece Alicia (Michelle), and his nephew Geoff.

A service celebrating John’s life will be held on Saturday, June 26 at 10:30 am PT at the San Dieguito United Methodist Church in Encinitas, CA. The service will also be live-streamed and posted as a video at www.Encinitaschurch.com. The family requests no flowers. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Faith & John C. Conklin Ministries Scholarships at Claremont School of Theology or a charity of your choice.

Read John’s obituary here.

(Photo from the obituary, Alhiser-Comer Mortuary website.)