John Trahar

Nothing had a bigger impact on John’s life than travel. He was endlessly curious about other countries, cultures, and cuisines, exploring destinations like the North Shore of Kauai, Big Bend, London, Spain, Turkey, the Greek Isles, the Galapagos, South America, Italy and of course, Australia. An epic American road trip made a big impact as well. Many of these adventures were taken with Adam Butler and Brian Gourley in their roaring twenties. John shared the love of travel with Jamie and Calum, though he had to learn to enjoy a luxury hotel for their sake.  He was joyfully adventurous and loved being in nature, especially in the water, though he never managed to convince his wife, Jamie, that joining him in a ridiculously cold ocean, spring, lake, or pool was "refreshing." These travels reconnected John to himself and it’s where the best version of John could be seen. 

John married Jamie Flynn in 2006 on a gorgeous night in Austin Texas at the Laguna Gloria Art Museum. The wedding was populated with beloved friends and family from Los Angeles and New York as well as Austin locals. (To this day, the curfew and sound rules at the event locale remain stricter due to this epic night.)  And the vows taken that day were lived in the most profound ways. John and Jamie built a home together in Austin with the architectural genius of Jamie’s father Mike. They welcomed Calum Flynn Trahar as their first and only child in 2009.  John and Jamie liked to point out that in Cal’s case, two wrongs do indeed make right. John deeply loved his family, and nothing made him happier than his son, - Cal was John’s best friend and favorite human from Cal’s first breath to John’s last.

John loved reading history, introducing all friends and family to the biographies of Winston Churchill and the books of Patrick O’Brien, and urging everyone he met to read Sapiens and Life of Pi. John and Jamie also shared an interest in Stoic philosophy and he often sought spiritual guidance in the words of Richard Rohr. They bonded over a shared addiction to almost any British murder show or detective story, requiring multiple streaming channels, cups of tea, and shortbread biscuits while watching. A man of varied tastes and a great love for laughter, he often quoted the "First rule of comedy - be funny," and would shamelessly defend his all-time favorite movie, Working Girl (a love Jamie shared, in return for her getting him hooked on Moonstruck). 

John lived by the guiding principles of "trying and caring," believing that if one can accomplish just those two things, life will generally be okay, and one will meet genuinely good people. In spite of his recent terrible misfortune, this was a belief he held to the end and to which Jamie still firmly adheres. John practiced radical honesty, which those who met him soon discovered whether they were ready or not. Over time he learned to deliver this gift wrapped with more love and tenderness. It all came from a place of caring deeply, which any friend of John’s knew to their core.

John is survived by many who will miss him dearly:  his beloved wife, Jamie Flynn:  his son Calum Flynn Trahar:  his siblings Mike Trahar and Susanne Mauney: Jamie’s parents Pat and Mike Flynn:  his in-laws Blake and Lara Flynn, and Joshua Mauney. He is also survived by his extended family, including his nieces and nephews, Noah Trahar, Emma Trahar, Ryan Trahar, Georgia Mauney, Maggie Mauney, Cameron Flynn, and Connor Flynn, as well as by  his uncle and aunt, Peter and Peta Trahar.