John Allen Faas

John Allen Faas was born the second son of Alfred J. and Larrane J. Hoopes Faas of Inglewood, California, July 1st, 1938. His twin sister, Carole, died in infancy.
The Faas family moved to Downey, California, when John was in his teens. John was deeply involved in Boy Scouts and earned his Eagle Scout rank. He participated in the famed Boy Scout Jamboree that was held in Orange County on the plot of land that later became Fashion Island Shopping Center as the area was developed as Newport Beach.
After John graduated from Downey High School. He served as a clerk in the U.S. Army between the Korean and Vietnam war, stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco. After fulfilling his military service, John worked various jobs in Southern California while taking drafting classes at Long Beach City College.
In the late 1950’s John and his older brother, Al became interested in surfing and formed one of the early surfboard manufacturing companies, Allen Surfboards of Long Beach, California. They were pioneers in the use of foam board construction and were an integral part of the early surf culture of Southern California. Their shop was advertised in Surfers Magazine, and they sponsored the screening of some of the first surf movies by Bruce Brown (Endless Summer) at local high schools and Long Beach City College.
The brothers were business partners throughout their lives, getting into real estate, construction, and apartment rentals. John’s skills in construction drafting were put to use in the early 70’s as they transitioned from surfing to skiing, and he designed an apartment building which they built in Vail, Colorado. That building became his home for much of his life until 2020. John also spent several years traveling the world, living in Australia and Europe.
Keeping a foot in Southern California real estate market, Joh and Al got into home building in Huntington Beach. John designed the house they built. His most notable design project was the 5000 square foot French country style home that became a landmark in Huntington Beach in the late 90’s. His fine skills and attention to detail were apparent in all his building projects.
John returned to Vail to manage his apartments and serve as an instructor with Vail Ski School and a Vail Mountain host for over 20 years. He was a well-known fixture in the ski community, as he had been among the Southern California surf crowd in his early days. He remained single throughout his life.
John left Vail in 2019 to reside at Mesa Valley Estates in Mesquite, Nevada and later moved to the Retreat at Sunriver in St. George, Utah. John is survived by his brother Alfred and sister-in-law Linda of Mesquite, Nevada.