Obituary of John Koshenina

John was born to John and Christine Koshenina on October 19, 1947 in Little Falls Minnesota. He was raised on the family farm in Upsala, Minnesota with 11 sisters and brothers. John also worked at the family bar in town when chores were done. The family moved to the East Side of St. Paul where he attended grade school at St. Pats, middle school at Cleveland and high school at Johnson Sr. High. John enjoyed and excelled playing basketball for the Govs. He met Pat LaClair through mutual friends when Pat was 17. They fell in love and had their first date on April Fool's day. John knew he had a good one and proposed to Pat after 1 month of dating. They got married a year and a half later and settled into a nice house in the upper East Side of St. Paul. They eventually had 2 children, Brian and Lori. John worked at American Hoist as a welder and Crane operator. He was eventually promoted to Supervisor just before the company moved out of state. John then took a position at Bros until it closed it's doors. John's final place of employment was Minn Par in Minneapolis Minnesota were he wore many hats, including Maintenance and Supervisor. He made many friends through his work and kept in touch until the day he passed. John's pride and joys were his grandchildren. He had 6 granddaughters and 1 grandson. The grandchildren were a great sense of pride for John and were often the topic of conversation. John was a Husband, Father, Grand Father, Best Friend and someone you could always count on. He enjoyed the outdoors, camping, fishing and family. He was a baseball and hockey coach, hockey and softball player and a mentor. John passed away peacefully with Pat by his side on February 12th, 2014 at the age of 66. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Pat; children Brian (Kari) and Lori; 7 grandchildren; 4 sisters; 2 brothers; other family and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents John A. and Christine; 5 siblings and mother-in-law Lorraine LaClair. He will be deeply missed. Memorials preferred.