Tess, John C.

September 20, 1947 - September 19, 2021

Retired OPD Officer.

Campbell Aman Funeral Home

#2-Published at Campbell Aman Funeral Home

John Tess, 73 of Kennard, entered into rest peacefully at his home September 19, 2021. John was a proud Retiree of the Omaha Police Department.

John was born September 20, 1947, in Omaha, NE.

Preceded in death by Grandparents Amos and Anna Miller. Survived by mother Marguerite Smith, wife Colleen, daughter Anna, and son John Jr. Memorials may be directed to Pediatric Cancer Research or the POA fund in lieu of flowers.

Please join us to celebrate John's life by sharing your memories with family and friends. Open memorial service to be held Monday, October 4 at the Omaha Police Union Hall From 4PM to 8PM with a presentation from the OPD Color Guard at 5:30 PM. Open mic to follow.

Come as you are; wear your blue!

#3 Funeral leaflet

(photo; veteran)

John Tess was born in Omaha, Nebraska on September 20, 1947. John spent most of his life in Omaha, although growing up, he also lived in both Texas and California for a brief time. John graduated from Omaha South High School in 1965. John enjoyed his summers working at Camp Sheldon, where he met his future partner, John Toay. In 1966, John and his buddy Tom Croft joined the United States Marine Corps. After serving 2 years, John returned to Omaha to attend UNO to become a police officer, serving the Omaha Police Department from 1969 to 1973. In 1970 John was injured in a booby-trap bombing; 6 other officers suffered minor injuries, and tragically Officer Larry Minard lost his life. John married shortly after, and had a son, John Jr. He would later divorce. After retiring from OPD, due to injuries sustained in the bombing, John attended Bellevue College, receiving his BA in 1977. John worked at many jobs including Boys Town, State of Nebraska Parole, and security work. He moved to Colorado for a short time where he started Foothills Security and later returned to Omaha where he boarded horses on his acreage. John married Colleen Oltman in 1995 and spent a few months in Florida. Once again he returned to Omaha and served on the Mayor's Public Safety Advisory Committee in the late 1990's. After moving to an acreage outside Omaha their daughter Anna was born in 2003. John enjoyed fishing, feeding the birdss and traveling, especially to Poudre Canyon. Even though John suffered daily from tinnitus caused by the explosion, and battled with cancer before he passed away at home September 19, 2021, he always looked for the light.

In Loving Memory of John Charles Tess, Sr.

Born September 20, 1947 Omaha, Nebraska ~ Entered Into Rest September 19, 2021 Kennard, Nebraska

Celebration of Life 4-8 pm Monday, October 4, 2021 Omaha Police Union Hall, 13445 Cryer Ave., Omaha, NE 68144

~~~ Obituaries and funeral leaflet courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings and leaflets on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~