John Ruben Hillborn

John Ruben Hillborn of Eagle River, Alaska, left our world on Dec. 9, 2022. John was born on Kodiak Island, Alaska, on March 17, 1962, to Charles "Ruben" and Lorraine Hillborn. He grew up with his two sisters, Roxana and Melody. As a boy, John's creativity flourished and he found an immense love for music. He began playing guitar, bass and drums with his father and was a natural. This was just the beginning, as John would absolutely thrive at all he set his mind to for decades to come. John attended Chugiak High School, graduated class of 1980, where he met a young woman named Judith Ann Schierholt. The two would marry and get right to work, having three children by their mid-20s. John was an incredible family man, and an endlessly loving father. As good as John was at creating children - more on that later - he also had a proficiency at creating jobs and capitalizing on opportunity. As a natural entrepreneur, John rapidly found success in business. Along with some of his closest childhood friends, he carved a comfortable and adventurous life for his family. In 2004, John remarried, to Brittany Krolick, where he would go on to father two more daughters and two sons. John was always able to truly see the strengths in people. There was always something so infectious about his self confidence which brought out the best in all those around him. This made John a remarkable leader. John will be remembered as a loving grandfather, husband, brother, son, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend. He'll be remembered as a gifted showman, musician, businessman, coach and community figure. But, words cannot express how lucky those of us were to remember him as our father. John is survived by his mother, Lorraine Hillborn; sisters, Melody and Roxana; first wife, Judith with their daughters, Brandy and Miranda and son, Sonny; second wife, Brittany with daughters, Zoe and Sparrow and sons, Jack and Landon; grandson, Mannon; granddaughters, Gaia, Kallyn and Ophelia; as well as many beloved cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and friends. John is reunited in death with his father, Ruben; beloved cousin, Antril; and brother-in-law, longtime band mate and great friend, Butch. A celebration of life will be held at the Crossing Church in Chugiak, Alaska, on Feb. 2, 2023, at 5:30 p.m.