John Thomas Morton

John Thomas Morton of Laguna Niguel, California passed away peacefully on April 10, 2024. John breathed his 100-year-old soul away into his Savior’s arms while encircled by loved ones holding his hands and saying The Lord’s Prayer.

Early Life - John Thomas Morton was born on October 14, 1923 in Portland, Maine. John’s love of the ocean began in his youth while growing up near Willard Beach in South Portland. In 1938 his parents purchased their first home a few miles away near Portland Headlight at Birch Knolls in Cape Elizabeth - a quaint seaside community, only footsteps away from a private beach where John and his siblings spent summers enjoying swimming, boating and sometimes lobstering on Casco Bay. During his high school years he worked at Shaw’s Grocery Store for his oldest brother Woodie. Shortly after graduating from South Portland High School in 1941, he was hired as a stock brokerage trainee by Hornblower & Weeks, a large New York brokerage company with a branch in Portland. His employment with the firm was cut short by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Military Life - Once President Roosevelt declared war on December 11, 1941, John applied for pilot training in the U.S. Army Air Force. He passed all the written and physical requirements except for the depth perception test, which is a prerequisite for piloting an aircraft. Knowing he would be going into the military in the near future, John got a job at South Portland’s shipyard helping build transport ships for the war effort.

It was during this time that John met Anita Potvin, his future wife of forty-one years. They met at a Glenn Miller dance and concert in Portland. Even though Anita lived forty miles away in Auburn, Maine, they spent a great deal of meaningful time together before he went into the military.

John’s military service began in January 1943. After basic training in Florida, he was admitted to Aerial Gunnery School at Fort Myers, Florida. His training as a tail gunner included flying over the Gulf of Mexico in an open cockpit plane, while he practiced firing from the gunner’s turret at a target being towed by another plane. After completing Aerial Gunnery School, he was able to come home on a short furlough to spend time with his family and, of course, Anita. He was then assigned as the armament specialist and tail gunner of a B-24 Bomber. In December of 1943 his crew was assigned to the 90th Heavy Bombardment Group in the South Pacific. On the day after Christmas,

the 10 man crew flew their B-24 Bomber from San Francisco to their base at Port Moresby, New Guinea. After flying fifty-four combat missions with the famed Jolly Rogers Heavy Bomber Unit, and against all odds, John returned home unharmed on December 30, 1944.

Once stateside, he was given a one month furlough. On January 20, 1945 he and Anita were married at St. Louis Catholic Church, her parish across the street from where she and her family lived, in Auburn, Maine. In his engaging and humorous way, John would retell the story of many dinners while courting Anita at her parents’ home and as everyone was speaking French. John would sit patiently waiting to be filled in on what all the table chatter was about.

Anita was able to travel with John during his remaining months in the service. After his furlough, they stayed at a military center in New Jersey until John was reassigned. Their first base was in Harlingen, Texas where John attended Aerial Gunnery Instructor's School. From there he was assigned to the airbase in Laredo, Texas where he taught Aerial Gunnery to newly commissioned U.S. Army Air Force officers. In June of 1945, he was transferred to the air base in Independence, Kansas to supervise the disarmament and storage of guns and weapons from grounded B-24 aircraft. Once they learned of his earlier grocery experience he was put in charge of managing the base commissary. This was his last assignment. On September 6, 1945, he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army Air Force. Over the years, John has told the story about the very modest military living conditions and praised Anita for being such a trooper who never once complained about anything.

Post War Family Man - John and Anita then lived with John’s parents at their home in Cape Elizabeth. It was also shared with his four siblings and their families, fifteen in all, while they got back on their feet after all the brothers returned from the war. Family meals had to be eaten in shifts. Every square foot of the three-bedroom, one bathroom home was utilized including the unheated attic. The attic was divided into two rooms. John’s sister Dot and her three young boys occupied the larger side while John and his new bride had the smaller side. It was crowded, but they all managed to make it work. In 2014, during one of many Maine visits, John along with son Rick, daughter Sandi and granddaughter Kim, spoke with the current owner and were invited to walk through the Cape Elizabeth home. As John made his way from room to room he shared memorable family stories of his time there, tales about his parents, siblings, Anita and Rick… making this a most special trip!

John worked for Shaw's Grocery Store again for a short period, thanks to his brother Woodie who was now the store supervisor. During this time, John became a father when Rick was born on February 12, 1947 in Portland, Maine. The new parents brought their baby home from the hospital in the dead of winter to their quarters in the unheated attic of the crowded Cape Elizabeth family home. John loved being a dad and Rick was always John’s sidekick in his off hours, affectionately calling Rick his “Ol’ Pal”. That became a term of endearment they shared with each other all through their lives. John wanted to provide for his young family and therefore decided to forego his desire for further schooling, and instead, started a career.

Beech-Nut Years – The District Manager of Beech-Nut heard from Woodie about what a great employee John was, so he offered John a sales representative position at Beech-Nut. John worked for Beech-Nut from 1947 to1974. Over his 27 years with them he quickly rose up the corporate ladder to senior leadership. Each promotion required a re-location. The young couple purchased their first home in Portland in 1949 and moved out of the Cape Elizabeth family home. They were in their second Portland home in 1954 when their daughter, Sandi, was born on June 6, 1955. John’s next move was to Framingham, Massachusetts in 1960, while working in Boston. Then they moved across the country to Altadena, California in 1963, and he commuted to Los Angeles. The next move was back to the East Coast to Washington Township, New Jersey in 1967, driving into Manhattan, New York as he lived the “Mad Men - 2 martinis for lunch” lifestyle. The last move was back to the West Coast again in 1970. They purchased their home in Newport Beach, California and he worked in Santa Ana.

Case-Swayne Years - After leaving Beech-Nut in 1974, John got his Real Estate License and specialized in commercial properties. John soon realized this occupation was not for him. The food processing and manufacturing business is what he knew best, and where he felt he belonged. So, in 1976, he was hired as the Sales and Marketing Manager for the Case-Swayne Company located in Santa Ana, California.

While living in Newport Beach, he continued his unwavering daily exercise regimen. He enjoyed swimming in his backyard pool, playing golf and running. He and Rick remained dedicated New York Giants and Boston Red Sox fans and they always made time to watch the games together, while imparting the love of these two teams to the grandkids. In 1985, while Sandi and her husband, Jon were building their home, John noticed an opportunity to finish out the space over their garage, turning it into a private suite for his many family visits to Northern California. Between visits, Sandi and John looked forward to their weekly scheduled phone conversations.

On January 22, 1986, after a long lingering illness, the love of his life, Anita, passed away. While difficult, John remained living in their Newport Beach home until he retired in October of 1988 as the Executive Vice President of Case-Swayne.

Retirement Years - Just before retiring, John found love again when he met Jeanette through mutual friends. Jeanette stole his heart and became his wife of 29 years. John always had a desire to return to Maine, so in 1989 he sold his Newport Beach home and built his dream home in Yarmouth, Maine. He and Jeanette had quite the adventure while back in Maine. Precious time was spent with family, especially his brother Woodie, sister Barbara and in-laws Pat and John Stanhope. John also became closer to his niece, Karyn during this time. Life in Maine was wonderful, all but for those oh so cold, icy, snowy winters.

By 1993, John and Jeanette missed their California families… and the warmer winters. So they returned to California and he purchased a home in Laguna Niguel. Being back in California allowed John to again enjoy all the activities of his grandkids. John had a special interest in watching Michael, his athletic grandson, play high school football, baseball and basketball. Now, being fully retired, John was interested in finding a volunteer service position.

Rick was aware of volunteer positions with the Orange County Sheriffs Department and suggested he might be interested in the Laguna Niguel Police Services. John applied, was accepted, and volunteered for over 25 years at the Sheriffs Department with both the Laguna Niguel Police Services and Investigations at the Aliso Viejo station. After quite a few years, because of his ‘youthful’ appearance and mental acuity (they had no idea that he was 80-ish years old), they offered him a paid position, which he declined. He just didn’t want to ever have to ask for time off.

John still needed to get his "Maine Fix.” So, for over 20 years, if the calendar said October, you knew John and Jeanette were in Maine, usually in a hi-rise condo right on the beach with a 180 degree view of the ocean, in the little town of Old Orchard Beach. Rick and Sue, Sandi’s family and granddaughter Kim would often visit in October, too. John loved going to the old port to handpick his lobster dinner. On one very special trip, John cooked and taught Kim how to properly eat a whole Maine ‘lobstah’!

All his life John Morton did it his way. John was a man of great moral character, integrity, bravery and fiercely loyal to his family and friends. John was always so proud of his children and their chosen careers, Rick’s 45 years in law enforcement and Sandi’s dedication to teaching fourth graders since 1979. He was a superb storyteller with a wonderful sense of humor too. True to his devout, lifelong Catholic faith he had a generous, compassionate and tender side as well. He knew just what to say to make you feel like the most special person in the room. To know him was to love him. John will eternally be our hero and greatly missed, but never forgotten. Thank you for all the wonderful memories that we will always cherish in our hearts.

Rest in peace, Pappy John. Give our beloved Nana a big hug and kiss from all of us! We love you forever and always.

John is survived by his wife Jeanette and her two daughters Lisa (Mike) McMann of Lake Forest and Kimberly (Will) Galleher of Fountain Valley; son Rick (Sue) Morton of Laguna Hills; daughter Sandra “Sandi” (Jon) Morgan of Pollack Pines; sister Barbara Alexander of Estero, Florida. He is Pappy John to 7 grandchildren including Scott “Thaddeus”, Kimberly, Michael and Carrie (Morton) Bromer; the Morgan girls Danielle, Brittany, and Brandie Truby and 2 bonus grandchildren Grace and Ellis; 8 great-grandchildren J.J., Naevon, Shaylyn, Roman, Mariah, Everett, Ian and Linden. He is Uncle John to several other nieces and nephews and like a second father to Karyn Morton-Clark and Gary Morton.

John is Preceded in death by Anita Cecil (Potvin) Morton, wife and mother of his children; parents Frank Ernest Morton and Katherine M (Loveitt) Morton; siblings, Woodbury “Woodie”, Dorothy, and Gordon; his great-grandson Noah Morgan and nephew Kevin Morton.

A visitation for John will be held Monday, May 20, 2024 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Pacific View Memorial Park, 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625. A catholic funeral mass will occur Tuesday, May 21, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church, 2046 Mar Vista Dr, Newport Beach, CA 92660. A graveside committal will occur Tuesday, May 21, 2024 from 12:30 PM to 12:45 PM at External Service Location, 3500 Pacific View Dr, Newport Beach, CA 92625.