John Bruce Nordquist died on August 4, 2026, from Primary Progressive Aphasia at his home in Cary, North Carolina. He was 80 years old.

The oldest of three boys, John was born on March 23, 1946, in Salt Lake City, Utah. His father, John Franklin Nordquist, was a Station Manager for Western Airlines. His mother, Edith Mathews, was a first-grade teacher.

John was an exceptional athlete. An ambidextrous pitcher, he competed as far afield as California while still a child. In 1963, he was chosen to be on the district 7 Second Team as one of the top quarterback prospects in the Mountain region. The local press singled him out for his running, passing and defensive ability. He was named a High School Football Magazine All-American in the same year.

He was awarded a full athletic scholarship to the University of Utah in 1964 where he distinguished himself as one of the strongest pitchers in the history of the university. Almost sixty years after his departure, he still holds two of the top ten records for the lowest ERA in a single season – 1.92 in 1967 (second place) and 2.15 in 1966 (fifth place). His career lowest ERA of 2.52 still ranks second overall. In recognition of his dominance on the mound, he was honored by the Towne House Athletic Club as the baseball player with the most “inspirational value and ability” at the University of Utah in 1968.

John was a veteran of US Army, an alumnus of the Defense Language Institute in Monterrey where he studied Chinese. He was later deployed as a Voice Interceptor Operator in South Korea. After leaving the military he worked as language consultant in Japan for several years where he met and married his wife, Stacy in 1984 and where their first son, Jon-Erik was born in 1986. The family later moved to Vermont where their second son, Alexander, was born in 1990.

John was highly regarded as a teacher. Students of all ages and nationalities responded well to his empathy, good humor and the interest he took in the material he was teaching. During his career, his classes included the managers at Mazda in Japan; eastern European refugees in Vermont; the Vietnamese children of American servicemen; middle school Social Studies students in Kuwait and KG and grade one Hispanic students in North Carolina. John held a M.A in Teaching English as a Second Language from St. Michael’s College in Vermont. He was the ESL Director of the Refugee Resettlement Program and an ESL instructor in summer programs at the college. He was a former faculty member of the American School of Kuwait; and taught in elementary ESL programs in Stowe Vermont and in the Wake County Public Schools before retiring in 2017.

Although shy and reserved by nature, he was remembered by those who knew him long after he was gone. One of his former fraternity brothers at Pi Kappa Alpha observed that John had the single best disposition of anyone he ever met. Over the years, his family became accustomed to receiving calls, visits and e-mails from former associates of John’s that had known him earlier in his life in school, in the army, playing baseball. In one case, a former teammate from the 1960s contacted his family in 2019.

John’s father’s management position with Western Airlines afforded John an opportunity as a young child to travel by air in the 1950s and 1960s when air travel was a novelty for most Americans. It was an interest that he maintained all his life during which he lived in South Korea, Japan and Kuwait and travelled to over thirty countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

John also enjoyed being outside, reading and riding his bike. He had an extensive and varied collection of musical tapes and CDs which he listened to frequently. Above all, he loved and cherished his family and liked spending time with them. His sons recall biking and hiking with him during the summers they spent in New Hampshire and numerous hours watching movies and sitcoms. The entire family went on many trips together. Over the years, Stacy and John made over twenty-five international trips together.

His parents and his brother Dave predeceased him. He is survived by his wife, Stacy; his sons Jon-Erik and Alexander and his brother Craig as well as numerous nieces, nephews.

His family is grateful for the care and assistance he received through the course of his illness from the Glade and Total Life Adult Day Centers; from Terri Gaillard and Brandon Chien of Transitions Life Care; from caregivers Doris Berthea and Yami Corrales; from the dental staff at Kevin Atkins DDS; from physicians Gregg Warshaw and Kathleen LaRose and from their doula Holly Menard. And above all, a very special commendation should go to his wife Stacy, and his sons who oversaw his care at home for so long and with such fidelity.

In preparation for his memorial service, his family would be appreciative if those who knew would share a short video recollection of him at https://www.tribute.co/john-bruce-nordquist/?invite=link.