John Theadore Scheer

John Theadore Scheer Jr. was born in Thompson, Nebraska on May 6, 1925 to John T. Scheer and Mary Huber, one of 14 children. At age 11 he moved with the family to Scio, Oregon to escape the dust bowl and start a dairy farm. By age 14 he was on his own and his first job was with the CCC building public works. At 17 he married Dorothy L. Allphin, joined the Navy and was made a medic. He was sent to Bougainville in the Pacific theater and was attached to the Marines where he earned a Purple Heart. He had 4 children; John Michael Scheer (Carol), Sharon Criscenti (Dominic), Lucinda Swendsen, and Jan Carlson. He had 9 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.

John was made a foreman of electricians and mechanics at the Oregon Steel Mill, and started college at night to study electricity. After a few years he became an electrician and went on to become electrical engineer and project manager of some of the largest buildings in Portland, Seattle, and San Diego. He moved his family to San Diego for several years before returning to Portland. One of his most interesting jobs while there was secretly recruiting fellow electricians to put timers on all of the American flags along the flight route of the plane returning the prisoners of the PUEBLO to the San Diego airport to light up as the plane approached, an un-sanctioned endeavor. John Wayne was on the plane as organizer of the return and was so pleased with the tribute he found out who was responsible and personally invited John and his wife to the homecoming celebration.

John was married to Dorothy for 49 years until her death. In his retirement he married Ruth Stone and they enjoyed traveling in Mexico and crossing the United States before settling into a routine of spending 6 months a year at his place in Indio, CA and 6 in Vancouver, WA and his cabin at Lake Merwin.

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