John Alan Tarrant was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 26, 1964, to Robert and Shirley Tarrant. He grew up with his brothers, Michael Tarrant and David Tarrant, taking vacations around the country in an Airstream trailer. Soon after graduating from the University of Toledo in 1994, he moved to Seattle where he met his wife, Jodi White, in 2009. 

Always curious about how things worked, John pursued answers with relentless joy. A voracious reader, he hated answering emails and texts. He loved construction projects, working with his hands, and was a skilled woodworker. He had many interests, including exploring new restaurants, playing pool, chess, watching birds, and building racers for the Georgetown Powertool Races with his wife. They also had fun exploring, wandering around in the U.S. and abroad, looking for interesting things to get into. 

John passionately believed that shelter and housing are basic human rights, devoting most of his professional life and service to the development of affordable housing. In 2018 he left the nonprofit arena, joining friends and family to open and manage a retail pot shop in north Seattle. John was brilliant, funny, and extraordinarily kind and generous. A loving friend, brother, son, and husband, John died on December 4, 2023, in Seattle, Washington. He is loved, missed, and survived by his wife, both parents, brothers, in-laws, and a close-knit community of friends. 

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Instead of flowers, please consider a donation to Plymouth Housing in Seattle, Washington.