John Victor Staby (1946-2026)

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, sibling, and friend John Victor Staby of Plymouth, MN passed peacefully on March 10, 2026.

John was born in Oregon, Wisconsin in 1946 to Martha and Andrew Staby, joining siblings Judy and Paul; younger sister Mary would arrive later. Andy's job as a pastor moved the family to Brush, Colorado soon after John's arrival. Life on the eastern plains of Colorado was never boring for John: he found plenty to do with his brother and attended school as a proud Brush Beetdigger. John continued his education, attending St. Olaf College (class of 1968); he studied English and met Kathie Waterman, his greatest love. John taught middle school English Language Arts for a year before being drafted to serve in the war. John and Kathie married October 27, 1970 in Hawaii John was on an R&R pass; he returned home safely in January 1971. The couple enjoyed some time together in Minneapolis biking, boating, waterskiing, nordic and alpine skiing before deciding to have children. Annie and Betsy arrived in 1979 and 1981 - the new parents joked they stopped after "A and B, there will be no C!" John and Kathie worked hard to bring joy, love, and memories to their girls. The family spent time together around the dinner table, at the lake house, and traveled to Colorado, California, Florida, Hawaii, and Denmark to see the town from which the family surname originated.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Andrew and Martha, Kathie's parents, Cliff and Marion, and son in law Mike (Annie). He is survived by his wife of 55 years Kathie, daughters Annie and Betsy (Michael), grandchildren Marit, Archer, and Sophia, and siblings Judy, Paul, and Mary.

We welcome you to celebrate John's life at St. Phillip the Deacon Lutheran Church, on Friday, May 1, 2026 at 11:00am (visitation begins at 10:00am) with a luncheon reception to follow.

Instead of flowers, please direct memorials to your local public library to honor John's love of reading.