Obituary of John G. Magistad

John Gilbert Magistad enjoyed a fine Christmas morning with his family and died peacefully that day. He was devoted to his four loving daughters, a splendid stepfather to his three adult step children and a wonderful husband. John was born February 26, 1928, the son of Lila Simon and Oscar Magistad. He spent most of his childhood years in Hawaii where his father was a professor at the U of Hawaii and travelled to his father's family farm in Wisconsin each summer where he had strong ties and he cherished the many wonderful family gatherings held there throughout his life. After graduating from the U of Hawaii, he married Joy Laura Sears and together they moved to Ames, Iowa where he earned his MS in mathematical statistics at ISU. With the help of a General Electric Fellowship, he was later awarded a PhD from North Carolina SU. John worked for Sandia Corp. Sylvania and Seagate during his career but especially enjoyed the years with his own consulting firm, JGM Associates, and also his teaching positions at Stanford U, U of Wisconsin and San Jose S.U. Following the death of his first wife, John married Jo Ann McDonald and they relocated to Santa Barbara where they have lived for 16 years. He loved music- from slack key guitar to opera-and enjoyed singing in the local U.U choir. He was a happy gardener and enjoyed sharing roses, especially with friends at Direct Relief International where he volunteered for many years. Aside from Jo, his wife of 20 years, survivors include his daughters; Jill Farrell (Larry) of Los Gatos, CA, Jan Brubaker (Dave) of Sedona, AZ, Jody Grizzle of San Jose, CA and Jeri Higgins (Paul), Camp Verde, AZ, 7 grand-children and 6 great-grandchildren. John will also be lovingly remembered by Jo Ann's three children; Martin McDonald (Philly) Golden Bay, New Zealand, Leslie McDonald (Olle), Eden Prairie, MN, and Ellen McDonald, Lexington, MA and seven additional grandchildren. Services will be held in Saratoga, CA at a later date. Any memorial gifts may be made to Direct Relief International, 27 S La Patera Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93117.