John was born in Madison, Wisconsin March 12, 1949 to John and Helen (Roberts) Canfield and was the youngest of 5. He attended Williams College for his first Bachelors degree and the University of Minnesota for his second. He taught at NOLS, Outward Bound, Country Day in New Orleans, and Blake Schools in Minneapolis before joining Intel as a mechanical engineer. As someone very good at managements skills, John took a director position at Herman Miller, which brought John and his family to Michigan. After a couple of years, John opted to start his own consulting and meeting facilitations business, which took him into companies around the world.
Those who knew John will appreciate how many “thinking” hats he wore (far more than 6). He was a musician, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a jokester, an author, a world traveler and adventurer, a leader, a furniture builder, a father, and a friend. He spent his time constantly improving his own life and the lives of those around him through acts of service, pro bono teaching and organizational help. He was involved in numerous nonprofits and organizations throughout his life including Big Brothers, Escape Ministries, Community Action House, Boys & Girls Club, Rotary, the Holland Symphony, and the Holland Historic District to name a few.
John is survived by his wife Sharon Dwyer; children Robin Canfield, Marianne Canfield, and Alexei Canfield; 2 grandchildren; sisters Jane Anderson and Gail Pierce; and, many extended family members and friends.
A celebration of John’s life will be held on Saturday, September 27th from 1-5pm at his home. Please contact rcanfield@gmail.com or go to JohnCanfield.com if you would like more details. For those attending, please bring a dad joke or two and a favorite memory of your time with John.
In lieu of flowers or other gifts, John’s family requests you make donations to an organization of your choice that you feel would honor your memories with John.
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