John Eng
May 31, 1947 -
Jul 23, 2021
John Eng, 74, a leader in the Alaska construction industry and co-founder of Cornerstone Construction in 1993, died unexpectedly early on Friday, July 23, 2021, of natural causes at home. Despite his great success as a general contractor, he was probably better known as a mentor, community leader, wonderful host at his spacious Hillside home and philanthropist with a great sense of humor and yet a relentless curiosity about all things around him. He loved to both read - up to 50 books a year - and give books he found interesting to almost anyone who would take one.
He is survived by his wife, Lynn Ann Eng of Anchorage; two sons, Jason, 51, a web developer of Carson, Calif., and Geoffrey, 46, a set lighting technician of Winnetka, Calif.; and his sons' mother, Marilyn Jane Cady of Bellevue, Neb. He is also survived by two younger sisters, Carol Eng of Waco, Neb., and Sandra Henson Brim and husband Billy Brim of Whitsett, N.C.
Carl John Eng was named for his Norwegian great-uncle, Karl. He was born in York General Hospital in York, Neb., on May 31, 1947, to Charles William Eng, a WWII Army veteran and carpenter, and Ruth Elsa (Naber) Eng, a noted seamstress. He grew up in Waco, Neb., a town of less than 300, where his father had a small lumber yard and construction business. John and his two younger sisters worked for their father's business carrying and cleaning old bricks and straightening nails to use at their home which they built themselves. His was a devout Christian home and the family attended Lutheran Church regularly – a practice John continued in Alaska.
John was a Boy Scout and standout 6' 6" basketball player at Waco High, where he graduated in 1965 in a class of 17. He was the team's center until an eye injury requiring sutures took him out for the season and replacement by his best friend, Gary Bredenkamp. Despite his desire to become a math teacher, he graduated from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln with a construction management degree. His first job was with Peter Kiewit Sons of Omaha who sent him to Seattle as project engineer on a bridge. From there he went to Montana on a ballistic missile construction project that was halted because President Nixon negotiated a missile treaty with the USSR. He returned to Omaha before going to Casper, Wyo., to help build the Ford Events Center. After 10 years with Kiewit, he moved back to Seattle to work for Coffman White Engineers and then Howard S. Wright contractors. He came to Alaska to stay in 1980, after going to work for Strand Inc., of Seattle.
In 1993, he and his partners started Cornerstone Construction, which went on to become one of Alaska's largest contractors. The firm's first job was building an addition to U.S. Air Force Headquarters on Elmendorf AFB, the first of many Corps of Engineers jobs the company completed. Other major projects included a joint venture with Peter Kiewit on a new Anchorage VA clinic and the Alaska Airlines Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where the company did several jobs, as it did for nearby Providence Hospital, Alaska Regional Hospital, Alaska Native Tribal Heath Consortium and FedEx at the airport.
One of John's proudest achievements was doing more than $400 million of construction spread over dozens of jobs, without arbitration or litigation to settle a dispute. John's conscientious and persuasive personality anticipated problems and solved them before they became trouble.
John's grandfather, Trond Olaf Eng, immigrated to Buffalo Gap, S.D., in the early 1900s, at age 17, from Skiptvet, Norway, 35 miles south of Oslo, to join the Dakota land rush and homesteaded there with his wife May Jenny Saunders. John's family often spent summers on his grandfather's cattle ranch.
After selling his interest in Cornerstone in 2013 and taking a three year retirement, including a month in Africa in 2015, he purchased land near his grandfather's ranch in Hot Springs and built a small subdivision with a new company, High Point Construction, he founded with Lynn Ann to do work in both Alaska and South Dakota.
In 1980, in Omaha, he met Lynn Ann Fenton, a nurse from Estherville, Iowa, and graduate of the St. Joseph College of Nursing. A romance began that culminated in their marriage in 1986. John planned the wedding, flew Lynn Ann to Anchorage on a Monday and they were married at Anchorage Lutheran Church the following Saturday. Lynn recently retired as a delivery room nurse at Providence Hospital.
In 2002, they built a large, comfortable house off Huffman Road, where they hosted many charitable events and their famous parties for friends with John's favorite chili as the main course.
Charitable giving was a habit with John and he became a philanthropist, giving generously to many organizations including Anchorage Rotary, the Alaska Sudan Medical Project, Sons of Norway and many others. He often bought raffle tickets en masse at charitable functions and then donated the proceeds back to the charity if he won. He endowed the C. John and Lynn Ann Eng Construction Management Scholarship at the University of Alaska Anchorage, as well as a college scholarship program in his hometown of Waco. He also gave generously to the Rotary Foundation which helped eliminate polio worldwide and traveled to India as part of that program to "hands on" help the effort.
In addition to being a member of the Sons of Norway, John served as president of the Associated General Contractors of Alaska, the Alaska World Affairs Council and Anchorage Rotary. He loved $2 bills and usually stocked up on them at the beginning of the year - giving them out as tips and gifts throughout the year. "Integrity" and "generosity" are two words that best describe John in the minds of both family and friends. And he loved to mentor younger co-workers. He was able to talk easily with anyone from a service worker to the most successful people he encountered in his professional life.
In the words of his younger son, Geoffrey, "He was the best role model in the world."
Older son Jason said, "He was a great man, a generous man and the best father I could ever have been blessed to know."
His close friend Adam Heath of South Dakota said, "He was the most well-read person I ever met."
"I was blessed to have John Eng come into my life over 40 years ago and teach me the meaning of true friendship, love, compassion, generosity and joy. I thank John for the knowledge he shared with me. I will forever treasure the memories of the times we were together and the adventures we enjoyed," said Collin Szymanski of Anchorage, a long-time confidant.
In addition to his wife, two sons and two sisters, he is survived by three grandchildren, Desmond Trond and Scarlett Jane Eng by son Geoffrey and his wife Season Marie Eng; and Alina Rose Eng by son Jason and his wife Arlene Dulay Eng. He is also survived by nephew and godson, Charles Henson and his wife Shannon of Griswold, Conn., and their children Henry and Olivia.
Cards and notes to the family are welcome at P.O. Box 111391, Anchorage, AK 99511.
John's remains were cremated, as was his wish. A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a future date.
