We regret to advise of the death of Lieutenant-Colonel John Francis Feller, CD (Ret'd) on 24 June 2011 away after a lengthy illness.

John was born in the Netherlands in 1952 and immigrated to Canada with his family before his second birthday. He grew up in Lethbridge, AB. and started an interest in the military in his youth with the Navy League Cadets. He enrolled in the Canadian Forces in 1970 and attended Royal Roads Military College in Victoria BC and The Royal Military College in Kingston ON graduating in 1974 with a degree in Civil Engineering.

John's military career included postings with 1 Combat Engineer Regiment and various bases in Canada. He was seconded to the British Army in 1980 and served in the United Kingdom (including a stint as an instructor at the Royal School of Military Engineering), Germany, Denmark and Austria. On his return to Canada in 1984, John was posted to the National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa. Among his responsibilities, he developed a Canadian Airfield Damage Repair capability in Europe. During this period, he also trained at the United States Navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal School and participated in exercises in the United States, Germany and Norway. 

John retired from the Regular Force in 1991. From 1991 to 2004, John held the position of Director of Facilities Services for Cariboo College [now Thompson Rivers University]. He joined the Rocky Mountain Rangers in 1992 and served as the Deputy Commanding Officer and then as Commanding Officer from 1994 to 1999. Following his appointment as Commanding Officer, John served with the 39 Canadian Brigade Group Headquarters in Vancouver as well as the Land Force Western Area Headquarters in Edmonton. He returned to full-time service as an army Reservist in 2004 serving as Transitional Planning Officer and as liaison to Joint Task Force Pacific. In 2007 John was appointed Commander Task Force Freetown in the Republic of Sierra Leone, Africa. Upon returning to Canada, he was involved in the support of the 2010 Olympic Games. Following this duty, he again took command of The Rocky Mountain Rangers for a second time in 2009 until his passing.

A military funeral for LCol Feller is planned for Sunday 3 July when he will be interred with full military honours. Funeral services will take place at 3:00 p.m., St. Paul's Cathedral, 360 Nicola St, Kamloops, BC. Procession from the church will immediately follow. Afterwards, there will be a Reception starting at 5:00 pm at the Rocky Mountain Rangers Armoury, located at 1221 McGill Road for anyone wishing to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations in John's memory to the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation, 311 Columbia Street, Kamloops BC V2C 2T1, www.rihfoundation.ca will be gratefully appreciated.