John Russell Wells

John Russell Wells unexpectedly passed away on February 5th doing what he loved, in the place that he loved. He will be greatly missed by his wife, Cassandra Wells, his parents, John Stephen and Prudence Wells, his siblings, Brian Wells, Elisabeth Thibault, and Peter Wells, as well as extended family and many close friends.

John was born in Massachusetts and was a proud Boston sports fan his whole life. He spent time in the province of Quebec playing hockey, attending school, and making lifelong friends; later, he found himself drawn to the Pacific Northwest and Mount Baker’s epic powder. John was a world-traveler and proudly shared about his experiences traveling and studying all around including, but not limited to, his Backcountry Tourism Certification from the College of the Rockies in Golden, British Columbia. 

Since he was a child, John has always been athletic and energetic, playing hockey, basketball, soccer, baseball, and of course, falling in love with skiing. John made friends everywhere he went with his tangible and undeniable passion for the things that he enjoyed. John worked diligently to create videos, ski with professional photographers, and participate in freeriding competitions to achieve his goal of becoming a sponsored/pro-skier in his late 20’s. Over the course of his ski career, John had dozens of sponsors that outfitted him from head to toe. His on-the-mountain application, informed opinion, and technical feedback helped shape several of their products. A few of these company sponsors include FlyLow, G3, Leki, Smith, Intuition, Roxa, GoPro, Scarpa, Purl Wax, and Fatypus. 

After nearly two decades of landscaping and stonework experience, John started Leading Edge Masonry, LLC, where he worked for clients all across Whatcom and Skagit counties. Like other aspects of his life, John became well known for his talent and professionalism, and received word-of-mouth referrals that kept him busy during the spring, summer, and fall months. On the job, as he did on the mountain, John took pride in his work and did what he could to improve his craft. 

After moving to Bellingham, John quickly met Cassandra at the age of 23, where they became instant friends and spent an amazing 20 years together as partners, eight of those years as husband and wife. John and Cassandra helped each other through many of life's challenges and always came out stronger on the other side. Cassandra will forever be grateful for the things she learned from John, not only related to their many shared athletic endeavors, but also about being unapologetically yourself. Although children weren’t in the cards for John and Cassandra, John was a dedicated and loving uncle, not only to his own nieces and nephews, but his friends’ children as well. Kids always loved time spent with Uncle John. 

John was a loving husband, friend, son, brother, uncle, and ski buddy. The outdoors always seemed to call to John. His mountain stewardship, although a bit too straightforward for some, was a reflection of his respect and love for nature. Those who had the honor of skiing with John would tell you that he was one of the more technically skilled riders out there, radiating passion and happiness for the sport. This tragedy will leave an immense void in the lives of those who loved him, and for many, the mountains will never be the same. 

A Celebration of Life will be held for friends and family in the Bellingham area in March. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Washington State Parks or BC (British Columbia) Parks.