At times, John Haefeli even wore shorts while fishing in cold water.
Haefeli was known in Greeley for wearing shorts all throughout the year. They were an identifiable part of his character and personality. Shorts and a puffer jacket or shorts and a vest.
While fishing in mountain water might not seem to be the place for shorts, Haefeli, an avid and well-traveled fisherman, opted for shorts in the summer and early fall, according to his wife and fishing partner, Delia.
“Classic John,” said Andy Feinstein, University of Northern Colorado president, who spent a few hours with Haefeli learning to fish several years ago.
Feinstein recalled the cold water in a tributary of the Big Thompson. He was dressed to remain warm and dry, including waders — which are a waterproof garment worn by fishermen when standing in water.
“The water had to be in the 50s, and he didn’t care,” Feinstein said. “He thought waders were cumbersome and he didn’t need them. He wore shorts, and that was it.”
Haefeli, 67 and a Greeley native, died Saturday after a nearly year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. A dedicated Greeley advocate and active community participant along with Delia, and especially in the name of education, fishing was also a big part of the Haefelis’ lives.
Greeley-Evans School District 6 Board Member John Haefeli speaks during the Greeley West High School Class of 2021 Commencement Ceremony at District 6 Stadium in Greeley on May 22, 2021. (Alex McIntyre/Greeley Tribune file photo)Haefeli’s obituary said he requested attendees at his funeral wear shorts and a hoodie or vest.
Services to remember Haefeli will be held Thursday, June 19 at St. Mary Catholic Church, 2222 23rd Ave., Greeley. A rosary begins at 10:30 a.m. followed by Mass at 11 a.m. A reception will be held from 12:30-4:30 p.m. at the Poudre Learning Center, 8313 W. F St.
In addition to his wife, Delia, Haefeli is survived by three daughters, Sandra Pike, Lauren Ashley Larson and Nicole Larson Fuller; a sister, Ann Scott, her husband, Peter, and their children, Amy Couchman and Phillip Scheller; and by his brother, Joseph Haefeli.
At the time of his death, Haefeli was a member of the Aims Community College Board of Trustees. He was almost two years into the 4-year term. The trusteeship was the latest in a long list of his professional work, volunteer experience, memberships and activities.
Haefeli’s affiliation with Aims completed his involvement with the triumvirate of Greeley educational institutions, also counting UNC and Greeley-Evans School District 6. Haefeli served on the District 6 Board of Education from 2013-21 and with the UNC Alumni Association, where he was a lifetime member. He was also a lifetime member of the Colorado State University Alumni Association.
Haefeli was born and raised in Greeley, and he went through all his schooling in Northern Colorado. He attended the Laboratory School at UNC, then CSU, where he played baseball, and back to UNC for his master’s degree.
He and Delia, also a retired District 6 teacher and coach, were deeply rooted and widely known in the region.
Greeley Mayor John Gates had known Haefeli for about 50 years. They both grew up in the Glenmere neighborhood, west of UNC’s Central Campus. They also worked together in District 6. Gates was in charge of security when Haefeli was on the board of education.
The men met up occasionally for a beer with the intention to talk and catch up, Gates said. At times, they would have a hard time maintaining a conversation because both men inevitably ran into someone they knew.
For Gates, conversations with Haefeli were never soured by a disagreement. And that wasn’t for a lack of disagreements.
“I had light-hearted conversations with John all the time,” Gates said. “He was the kind of guy who if you had a difference of opinion, it would be over and you’d move on. I’d tell him he was nuts, he’d tell me I was nuts and that would be the end of it.”
Haefeli coached baseball at University High School. He was also an assistant coach and volunteer coach at UNC. He worked in youth baseball and basketball programs dating to the 1970s, and he was a basketball official at different levels for 40 years.
Haefeli was a longtime site director for Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) baseball, basketball and tennis tournaments. He coached tennis at University and Greeley West high schools, and he was involved with the game at the youth and recreational levels. When Haefeli was with the Tennis Association of Greeley in the early 2000s, he talked with Gates about improving the Centennial Park courts.
The facility has often been the host of state-level high school tournaments.
“He was the catalyst for positive change,” Gates added. “If you look up ‘ambassador for Greeley,’ you see John’s picture.”
Not long before his death Saturday, Haefeli appeared at Butch Butler Field in Greeley to throw out the first pitch at the CHSAA Class 3A state championship game between University and Coal Ridge. The 3A state tournament was named for Haefeli.
John Haefeli throws out the first pitch during the University vs. Coal Ridge game at Butch Butler Field in Greeley on Saturday, May 31, 2025. Haefeli passed away only hours after the pitch. (Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)Marilyn Schock, chair of the Aims Board of Trustees and president of UCHealth Greeley Hospital, had known Haefeli for a long time, though she wasn’t sure exactly how or when they met. They crossed paths through events and involvement and mutual friends, Schock said.
Schock said Haefeli was thoughtful and sincere about what he did and his interactions with the countless people he encountered.
“You never got a false sense with John,” she said. “It was a deep gratitude and human connection. You don’t see that in people anymore. He was about humans, and he was about people in how to be better. I think education was the foundation of that.”
According to Aims policy, the board will adopt a resolution declaring the seat vacant. That was set to happen Tuesday during a special meeting. The board then has 60 days from the adoption of the resolution to make an appointment for the vacancy. The appointee will only serve until November, at which point the seat will be up for election to serve the rest of Haefeli’s term through November 2027.
Haefeli was the trustee for District E, which is one of five areas in the college’s taxing district covering all of Weld County and portions of Adams, Larimer, Logan and Morgan counties and the city and county of Broomfield. District E represents the southwest area of the college’s district and includes the Weld RE-5J School District and one-third of District 6.
Schock saw Haefeli’s service to the community extend beyond his impact as Aims. Haefeli would sometimes bring one of his dogs — a Labrador retriever named Emma — to UCHealth Greeley Hospital as a therapy dog for patients and staff.
“He made sure all of the staff was a part,” Schock said. “He always recognized that. He was close with a few departments. You spend time with a man and his dog, and holy smokes. He was a huge presence. If people were having a tough day, Emma was the sweetest dog.”
District 6 Superintendent Deirdre Pilch said Haefeli was a deliberate and intentional person. Haefeli served on the District 6 board when Pilch was hired in 2015, and the superintendent will be one of the speakers at his funeral. She described Haefeli as a mentor, advisor and “dear, dear friend” for herself and for District 6.
Pilch said Haefeli was intentional in checking in with people while he was alive by sending a note in the mail or sending an email or taking the time to give credit for a job well done.
Haefeli took that same sense of intentionality he carried in his life and applied it to his death.
John and Delia Haefeli planned his funeral when it became apparent his cancer was terminal. Overall, only about 13% of pancreatic cancer patients will survive five years after receiving a diagnosis. That survival rate varies based on how much the cancer has progressed. For patients whose cancer has not spread, the National Cancer Institute gives a 5-year survival rate of 44%.
Pancreatic cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., according to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. It is the only major cancer with a 5-year survival rate under 20%, the network reported in January.
Gates recalled his wife, Patty, seeing Haefeli around that time and Haefeli mentioned he recently used his credit card to pay for his funeral. John Gates said Haefeli was matter of fact about the transaction and he maintained a positive attitude despite the diagnosis.
“There was a great amount of intentionality rooted in his character,” Pilch said. “The planning of the service and who would do what. He saw it as his responsibility to take care of the details.”
Pilch said Haefeli’s impact on the school district is significant and in place on multiple levels — from teaching, to his work with other staff and colleagues, overseeing and mentoring student teachers to athletics, the board of education and philanthropy with scholarships and funds for students.
Haefeli sat on the board of education during challenging times for District 6 both before and after Pilch’s arrival. Pilch said Haefeli was always willing to talk with her about what was going on and to have “honest conversations.”
Pilch spoke with Haefeli the day before he died. He gave her advice, and she teased him about bossing her around.
“We laughed and we cried about it,” she said. “He gave of his time, his wisdom and insight, and he gave of his own resources. He and Delia did. The man has so many tentacles in our community in so many ways. It’s truly remarkable the number of folks he impacted.”
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