John B. DesBarres, 63, of Sand Springs, OK passed away Saturday, February 8, 2025.
John B. DesBarres was born in Pittsburgh, PA to Marion T. DesBarres and the late John P. DesBarres. He was the oldest of four children including siblings Cheryl and Kim, and his half-brother, Christopher.
John spent his formative years in Cherry Hill, NJ and Tulsa, OK. He attended Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken, NJ, and subsequently graduated from Bishop Kelley High School in 1980. John received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The University of Tulsa in 1984. In 1987, John attained his Juris Doctor Degree from The University of Tulsa College of Law. He earned his way through law school as a licensed private process server, serving over 1,800 legal documents for Tulsa area attorneys.
John began his law career in 1986 as a licensed legal intern at Ungerman, Conner & Little. During his nearly forty years of practice, he completed client matters ranging from contracts and Durable Powers of Attorney to trial of complex bodily injury cases for both the plaintiff and the defense sides. Starting in 2012, John became a sole practitioner focusing on general civil practice, plaintiff personal injury and civil insurance defense in Oklahoma state and federal courts.
John was also active in the Tulsa community. He was a member of Rotary Club of Tulsa; Sigma Chi Fraternity, Delta Omega chapter; Tulsa County Bar Association; American Inns of Court, the W. Lee Johnson/James Sontag Chapter; Knights of Columbus, and the American Diabetes Association. A lifelong Boy Scout, John was the recipient of BSA awards including Silver Beaver, District Award of Merit, Eagle scout, and Wood Badge.
On July 22, 2017, John married Anne, the love of his life, and affectionately called "the John Whisperer." Together they built a life emphasizing family and friends, encompassing good food and good company. They enjoyed spending time with grandchildren Lane and Luke, growing copious amounts of fruits and vegetables in their garden, summer days in the pool, playing backgammon in the evenings and hosting dinner for many friends and family members. If you knew John, you know that he loved to cook anywhere and anytime, on anything - stove, oven, grill, griddle, or campfire, often whipping up recipes he learned from his Grandmother Margaret. The outdoors was John's playground, whether that meant hunting, fishing, boating or camping with his friends. Through the years he cherished time with his dogs Bleu, Darby, Drake, and most recently, Lucy.
He is survived by his wife Anne DesBarres, as well as his children Isabella and Alex, stepson Aaron Marshall, wife Adrianna and their children Lane and Luke, who loved their Grampie, and stepdaughter Kate Marshall. John is also survived by his mother Marion T. DesBarres, siblings Cheryl Kane, husband Buddy and their children Sean, Meaghan and Erin; Kim Ventimiglia, husband John and their children JP, Carissa, Anna and Sofia; Christopher DesBarres, wife Amanda, and their children Jack, Annie, Emma and Carolyn. He is also survived by his stepmother, Linda DesBarres, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws and friends. He is predeceased by his father, John P. DesBarres.
In lieu of flowers, donations in John's memory can be made to the American Diabetes Association, by using the donation form at <
https://Diabetes.org
>.