Obituary of John Colin Kerr

John Colin Kerr was born on 4-4-44 to Alvin Kerr and Elizabeth Hourie in Kimberley B.C. Canada. He passed away unexpectedly on October 8, 2015 in Tacoma, WA. Colin is survived by his daughter, Kimberly Korth of Tacoma; sons Stewart (Karen) of Wenatchee, Shawn (Bernadette) of Maple Valley, and Jason (Marie) of Tacoma; brother Doug (Villa) of Fox Island; sister Karen (Ray) Moreau of Puyallup; grandchildren Mary, Christopher, Kaitlyn, Conrad, Jared and Janessa; wife Eva "Fee"; many nephews, nieces and cousins; best friend Chris; special friend Joy, and former wife Margaret. Colin retired from the Seattle Fire Department in 1998 after 30 years as a paramedic---a job he loved. As a Navy veteran, he served on the USS Cove. He worked as a telegrapher for the Milwaukee Railroad prior to joining the fire department. He was in the first graduating class (1962) of Mt. Tahoma High School; he designed the still-used cover of the yearbook. He attended Olympic College, TCC, and the University of Washington Medical School where he took annual course work as a part of his continuing paramedic training. In the mid 1980's he was a founding member of the Seattle King County Disaster Team and aided survivors of the earthquakes in Mexico City, San Salvador, and Yeravan, Armenia. He led an active life and lived aboard his sailboat, Williwaw, for many years. He considered 4 to be his lucky number and even played second base for Parkside Church. Restoring cars was a favorite pastime especially his classic VW Camper. An avid walker in his retirement, he enjoyed a wide circle of friends including those at his marina and at The Beach Tavern, Spuds, The Swiss, and Johnnie's Dock. He also had many friends in Mazatlan. One of his proudest achievements was creating the annual Hourie Reunion held in Canada for the past thirty-one years. Colin will be missed for his sense of humor, strong opinions, and good heart. A family service will be held on Saturday October 17 at 11AM at Piper Morley Funeral Home, 5436 So Puget Sound followed by burial in the Old Tacoma Cemetery, close to where he was raised in South Tacoma. Everyone is invited to a celebration of his life November 7, from 5 to 9 pm, at the Asia Pacific Cultural Center (So. Tac. Comm. Ctr.), 4851 So. Tacoma Way in Tacoma.