Age 73, former resident of Knoxville, passed away in San Antonio, TX, Thursday, June 4, 2020 after a prolonged illness. He may be best remembered for embodying positivity, generosity and adventure among everyone that knew him. John had a profound impact as a mentor and friend to many and was an inspiring, curious force as a teacher and academic alike. He loved fishing, traveling, sports, animals and warmly embraced everyone in his orbit. He had an incredible sense of humor and sharp wit and was a confidant to countless individuals. As a loving father and husband, he repeatedly faced some of life’s greatest challenges head on and often with commanding levity.
He received his B.A. from Portland State University, M.A. from the University of Calgary and Ph.D. from Michigan State University. An active member of University of Tennessee Department of Psychology from 1976 until his retirement in 2016, John was an excellent teacher and a prolific researcher. He cared enormously about students and was a tireless advocate for them. He chaired 56 graduate committee and served as a member on 345 graduate student committees, more than any other professor in the department. His research focused on personality measurement and assessment, career assessment, and development and he published over 100 journal articles.
He and his second wife, Lucy Gibson, also ran Resource Associates, a leading local pre-employment testing firm. Preceded in death by his wives, Karen Rasmussen Lounsbury, Lucy Gibson; He is survived by his sisters, Mary Lounsbury of Carmel, CA, Ruth Wise of San Antonio, TX; brother Thomas Lounsbury of Minneapolis, MN. Mr. Lounsbury leaves two children, Kirsten Lounsbury and Matthew Lounsbury of Portland, OR, and two grandchildren, Karen and Holland Lounsbury. He is also survived by his brother in law Bill Wise and nieces and nephew, Sarah Schaff, John Wise and Laura Wise.
A virtual Celebration of Life is planned for Saturday, June 13th at 4pm, EDT (facilitated by the Universalist Unitarian Church and son Matthew Lounsbury). You can attend this online service access the First Unitarian Portland website and following their instructions on how to attend online.
In lieu of flowers, the family has set up a GoFundMe page for John’s daughter, Kirsten. Contributions can be made on this Kirsten’s GoFundMe page.