John Randall Tennant
8/23/1940 – 6/16/2016
John Tennant passed away peacefully at home in Oak View, California, on June 16, 2016, after a lengthy fight with cancer. The week before John passed away, he said he was satisfied that he had done everything that he had wanted to do and felt his life had been fulfilled. The morning before his death, John said he was ready to go—and he kept his word. John always did things his own way, so this was nothing different!
John Randall Tennant was born in Seattle, WA, and grew up in North Bend. He was a member of Boy Scout Troop 466, and the Snoqualmie Valley Riding Club. It was with the Riding Club that John’s love of horses began. During his years at Mt Si High School, John was a three-sport letterman, along with holding several student government positions. John was Valedictorian of the class of 1958.
John attended Stanford University, earning a BS in Engineering, and later his Master’s Degree from the University of Washington. During that period, he met his first wife, Nikki. They had 2 children together: Ann and Randall (Randy).
John worked at Boeing as an engineer, and then Price Waterhouse. He transferred his young family to the Business Consulting office in Tokyo, Japan. While in Tokyo, he traveled frequently in the Far East. After 6 years in Tokyo, John was transferred back to the states to Los Angeles to head PW’s Business Consulting Office. He later opened his own firm, Manex Business Consulting.
In Los Angeles, John moved into an equestrian neighborhood and got back into the Western riding he loved as a child. He joined a local private horse and cattle club called the Empty Saddle Club. This eventually lead John to join the Catalina Caballeros, the Santa Barbara Trail Riders and finally Los Rancheros Visitadores, his favorite club of all, which sponsors a ride where its all-male membership arrives from around the world to spend a week together enjoying sports like horse racing, team cattle penning, sorting, trail rides, skeet shooting and more.
During his time in Los Angeles, John met and married Deborah Francis after his breakup with first wife, Nikki. This marriage produced his 3rd child, Alyssa Jane.
A few years later, after he and Deborah divorced, John met Carol McDonnell at the Empty Saddle Club. Carol introduced John to her friends in the Long Beach Mounted Police. John served as their Captain for a couple of years, leading the palomino group with sterling silver saddles, appearing most years in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade.
After 11 years of dating, both John and Carol thought “it might work out”, so they were married in 2005. They retired to the Ojai Valley, CA, with their horses, and joined the Ventura County Posse.
John Randall Tennant is survived by his wife, Carol Tennant; daughters Ann Klein (Denver, CO) and Alyssa Tennant (Berkeley, CA); son Randall Tennant (Bellevue, WA); sisters Ann Holland (Redmond, WA), and Vicki Bettes (North Bend, WA), and 4 grandchildren: Matthew and William Klein; Janie and Julia Tennant. John was predeceased by his parents, Maurice and Jane, and sister, Jean Tennant.
Memorials may be made to: In loving memory of John Randall Tennant: The Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara, 601 West Juniper Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105 (www.ccsb.org/giving ) OR to The Thacher School https://connect.thacher.org/donate
