John Albert Sonquist

John Albert Sonquist died peacefully on September 20, 2017, after a brief illness, surrounded by his loving family. A lifelong learner and musician, John was well known throughout Santa Barbara in music and social justice circles and at UCSB. He served as a member of the UCSB faculty in the Sociology Department for 21 years before retiring in 1991.

His wife, Hanne, preceded John in death. He is survived by his son Eric Sonquist (Anita – grandkids Jessica and Zoe (Bryan and baby Greyson), and his daughters Catherine Forest (Will – grandkids Kelsey and Owen) and Kristin Firrell (Graham – grandkid Scarlett (Preston) and a tightly knit family of cousins and extended family.

A service celebrating John’s life will be held on November 4th, 2pm, at the Live Oak Unitarian Church (820 N Fairview Ave, Goleta, CA 93117) where he was a longstanding member of the congregation. Should friends desire, contributions may be sent to the American Friends Service Committee (https://www.afsc.org/) or Hospice of Santa Barbara (http://www.hospiceofsantabarbara.org/)