August 30, 1928 – September 4, 2019
Carmel, CA
John Vera succumbed to a lifelong battle with COPD on September 4th, shortly after his 91st birthday. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He was a highly-respected professional in TV and radio broadcast sales, sales management, and station management.
His 60-year-plus career in media sales and management began in Phoenix in the late 1940’s. He held positions at first radio, and then television stations, in Phoenix, Sacramento, San Jose, San Francisco, Salinas and finally, Monterey. He was Station Manager at KCBA, and Sales Manager at KION and KSMS in the Monterey/Salinas broadcast market. He retired as National Sales Manager of Comcast Spotlight in 2009.
John’s professional colleagues describe him as a “Class Act.” Clients, managers, and co-workers respected John for his exceptional integrity; he was known as a “straight-shooter.”
John first met Nancy Graham when he went to work at KTXL in Sacramento. She well- remembers the day in 1972, when he walked into the sales office for the first time, and she said to herself, “Now, that’s the best-looking man I’ve ever seen!” They were friends and colleagues over the next 14 years, when they worked at stations in Sacramento, San Francisco and Salinas. When John’s wife, Betty, succumbed to cancer, their friendship blossomed into romance, and they married in January, 1985 in Maui, Hawaii. They embarked on a five-month honeymoon, traveling around the world.
Their love of travel – and the diverse cultures and people they encountered – took them to India, Nepal, Japan, Thailand and the Middle East. Subsequently, they lived in Costa Rica for a time, and visited Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, England, Wales, France, Spain, and Italy.
For a year, John and Nancy stepped out of broadcast sales to take a turn at being entrepreneurs, when they opened the first Mailboxes, Etc. franchise in Del Monte Center.
In addition to Nancy, his wife of 34 years, John is survived by his brother, Bill of Carson City, NV. and his sister, Jill Louth of Kansas City, MO. He also leaves behind son, Michael (Sherry), granddaughter, Vanessa Lowe (Craig), grandson Michael Vera, Jr. (Amber), and seven great-grandchildren, all in the Phoenix area.
John Vera’s Memorial Service will be Saturday, October 19th at 1 pm, at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, 28005 Robinson Canyon Rd. in Carmel Valley. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, or the Sisterhood of P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship Fund to benefit women’s education (www.donations.peointernational.org). Visit www.thepaulmortuary.com to share a memory or leave a message for the family.
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