John Herzog Satterthwaite

John Herzog Satterthwaite was born in Akron, Ohio, on April 6, 1930. He and his parents, John (Jack) and Isabelle, moved frequently during his early years. His parents divorced when he was 9, and he and his mother went to live with his grandparents, Grandpa and Grandma Herzog, in Rochester, NY. Though John didn’t have much contact with his father after the divorce, they reunited when John enlisted in the Army. His father met him at boot camp as he got off the bus.

While living in Rochester, John enjoyed building model trains and airplanes. Around age 11, he and his best friend, Leo, built a fort in the empty lot next to their family home on Winton Rd. Soon after, John got his beloved Scotch Collie, Bobby (Bob, son of Battle), who loved chasing the chickens that lived in the fort-turned-coop after the U.S. entered WWII.

During the summer months, John and Bobby went with his family to Lake Ontario for fishing, boating, and swimming. In the winter, John enjoyed skiing down one of the slopes at the park by Winton Rd. With no rope tow, John and his friends had to hike back up the hill each time. At age 8, John joined the Cub Scouts and continued to have many adventures through his years as a Boy Scout, later guiding scouting trips for his sons, and sometimes joined by his daughter, Katie.

As John entered his teenage years, he traveled to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, each summer with his mother and cousin Bobby (Barbara Wilson). His mother would paint landscapes and portraits while John and Bobby explored the beach and swam in the ocean. Bobby taught John to drive her jeep in the sand dunes—a jeep John would later say was frightening to drive in the snow and ice. Every day, John would walk to a café and order a lobster sandwich, a slice of blueberry pie, and a glass of milk. One summer day in 1948, John caught a 48½ lb striped sea bass while surfcasting on the ocean side of North Truro (Cape Cod). It was a great day for fishing!

In June of 1949, John graduated from Nottingham High School in Syracuse, NY. After graduation, John, his mother Isabelle, and cousin Bobby, along with his Great-Aunt Petie and Grandpa and Grandma Herzog, all moved out to California. Grandpa Herzog, tired of shoveling snow in the winter, bought a house in Arcadia, CA. John (age 19), and his Uncle Fred Herzog built the house, then John continued to build a brick barbecue, patio, walkways, and planters in the backyard. He also built a barn and corral for Bobby’s horses.

Starting in February 1950, John attended Pasadena City College. While going to school, he got a summer job in the shipping department at Fletcher Aviation.

In 1951, he met his future wife, Janet, at a young adult social event called "The Lamplighters of Arcadia Presbyterian Church," which was held at the home of one of Janet's nursing school classmates. It took about two weeks for John to gather the courage to ask her out on a movie date. She accepted, and a new life together began!

John began working at Douglas Aircraft Co. in Santa Monica, CA, in February 1952 as an engineering draftsman and graduated from Pasadena City College the following September. He enlisted in the Army Medical Corps from January 12, 1953, to November 24, 1955. John and Janet were married on June 2, 1953, at Glendale Presbyterian Church. Shortly after their marriage, John’s enlistment in the Army stationed him in Honolulu, O’ahu, Territory of Hawaii, at Tripler Army Hospital, where their first child, Catherine, was later born. Janet took nursing jobs at Queen's and Kapi’olani Hospitals. John received a Good Conduct Medal and National Defense Service Medal during his military service. After returning to the states in January 1956, John went back to work at Douglas. In February 1956, John and Janet’s son, David, was born. For much of 1956, Janet lived part-time in Glendale with her parents and with John’s family in Arcadia while John rented a room in Santa Monica during the week so they could save enough money for a down payment on a new home. In November 1956, they acquired their new three-bedroom, two-bath home in Canoga Park, CA. In January 1958, their son John was born.

Shortly after Douglas moved its plant to Long Beach, CA, John and Janet moved to Orange, CA, with their three children in September 1961. Soon after, the family fell in love with June Lake, CA, where they would take the kids every summer for camping, fishing, and hiking. As John and Janet's sons got older, John became the Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop #804. John led the troop on many hikes in the local and Sierra Nevada mountains, including several ascents of Mount Whitney—with daughter Katie (15) joining for one ascent. On another Scout trip up Whitney, Janet (40) filled in for John while he was on a business trip.

In 1967, Douglas Aircraft merged with McDonnell Aircraft to become McDonnell Douglas Corporation. As John moved up the ranks with more responsibility in the Interior Design department, he traveled all over the world on company business. John always had a strong work ethic and a keen eye for detail, which served him well in both his hobbies and career.

In 1972, John took his family on a month-long car trip to Canada. Everyone had a great time, and at the end of the trip, John thanked the children for getting along so well! In the early 1980s, John and Janet traveled to the village of Satterthwaite in England, followed by stops in Scotland and Ireland. In the 1990s, John retired from McDonnell Douglas after 39 years, and Janet retired from nursing after 37 years. They began designing and building their family cabin in June Lake, CA, where many wonderful summers with family and friends would be spent. In the early 2000s, John and Janet visited Alaska to see their son David and his family, where they spent time sightseeing and fishing. In 2005, John took Janet and his sisters-in-law, Judie Peterson and Mary Thompson, to wander through Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Cape Breton, and Quebec. In 2006, John, Janet, Judie, and Katie traveled the Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee Rivers on the Mississippi Queen paddle wheeler. In April 2007, John and Janet went on a Lewis and Clark paddle wheel trip on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. In 2008, they took a cruise with Judie and Katie to Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Later that year, in June and July, John and Janet flew with their dear friends Larry and Chris Ball to New Zealand (Aotearoa), where they were joined by many lifelong friends from church.

John loved building scale models of many things, including a model of their future cabin, dollhouses, lighthouses, and everything related to narrow gauge railroads. It was for his love of the railroad that he added a second floor to their Quincy Ave home to build a complete train layout. He designed, built, painted, and wired lights and sound for all of the trains, buildings, people, vehicles, and boats, as well as molded various landscape and water features. His attention to detail enhanced the layout with all the bells and whistles, setting the stage for wonderful demonstrations filled with his favorite railway sights and sounds. John also loved refurbishing antique sewing machines, completing about 15 in total. He built a comprehensive repository of family history and spent a great deal of time researching family genealogy. He transcribed over 3,000 handwritten letters mailed between various members of Janet's family from 1868 to 1977. John also enjoyed helping his neighbors in any way he could, often assisting with foundation work, roofing, landscaping, and helping dear neighbors Tony and Linda Felix build an addition onto their house from the ground up.

John will be deeply missed and forever remembered for his kindness, humor, great laugh, consideration for friends and family, and as a family provider, loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

He is survived by his children Katie, David E., and John; grandchildren Scott, Jenny, Keele, David A., and Rachel; and great-grandchildren Catherine, Levi, Laken, and Holden.