John Paul Frasca Jr

John Paul Frasca Jr. passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 5th, 2026, surrounded by his children. He is survived by his three adult children, Jeff, James, and Jennifer; his brother Michael; and four grandchildren, Chancellor, Del, Sophia, and Anthony.

John grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. During college, he discovered a deep love for hiking and mountaineering in the Appalachian Mountains. That adventurous spirit carried him west to the Rockies and eventually to the Pacific Northwest, where the Olympic Mountains drew him in. He made his home in Olympia and spent his career as a financial analyst at St. Peter Hospital.

John shared everything he loved with his children: the mountains, hiking, camping, and, in time, a new passion for sailing. His life on the water led him to explore the inlets and waterways of Puget Sound, and those explorations brought him to Port Townsend, where he eventually put down roots for good. He found his truest home there, with water views out his window, the farmers market close at hand, and a community that embraced him fully.

He lived his final days exactly as he wanted, with great friends, close family, and complete independence. John loved the best things life offers: mountain ranges and bay views, peak-of-season berries, a perfectly aged wine, and the company of people who mattered to him.

John faced several challenges, including lifelong health issues resulting from being hit head-on by a drunk driver at the age of 23 and, decades later, a diagnosis of ALS that severely limited his mobility. He turned his own struggles into an effort to help others, including a wide range of generous volunteer work on accessibility issues. He was active with the group DASH, which advocates for improved accessibility in public buildings, spaces, and recreational opportunities such as hiking trails.

His family has planned a celebration of life on August 9 at 1:00 pm at the Port Townsend Northwest Maritime Center. All friends and family are welcome. If you cannot attend, his family warmly invites anyone who knew John to share memories, stories, and photos to stories-of-john@frasca.me

Donations in John's memory can be sent to DASH (https://dashproject.org/),

Team Gleason (https://teamgleason.org/),

ALS Association (https://www.als.org/) and

Jefferson Land Trust (https://saveland.org/)

Family and friends are invited to share memories of John and sign the online guestbook.