John Leroy Alford

John Alford was born in Rotan, Texas to Richard and Beatrice. As a child, the family moved to California. John was still in high school when the US entered WWII. After graduation, he finally convinced his mother to sign permission to enlist in the Navy, as he was under age. John went on to serve in the U.S. Navy for 20 years, serving in WWII, the Korean Conflict and the Cold War. He retired as a Master Chief in 1963.

After retiring from the Navy, John went on to work at GSA. This retirement was followed by consulting positions that including work in New Jersey, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

After John’s final retirement, he started writing. He continued writing stories well into his 90s. Although John was color blind and legally blind, he also enjoyed painting.

John’s greatest passion was sharing stories of his military service. It would not take much to get him to talk about his experiences onboard ship, as well as other stories about his life. He was very proud of his military service and would often say, “It was an honor to serve my country.”

John was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Bob and Lynn, sister Patty, as well as his wife Helen, and son-in-law Jim. He is survived by his son Bruce and daughter Pat, as well as grandsons Ryan (Rachelle) and Shawn, great-grandsons Destin and Cohen, and nieces and nephews.

It was John’s wish to be buried at sea from a navy vessel. This is a fitting service for John as he will have one final cruise.

The family would like to thank the entire staff of The View Alexandria (formerly The Hermitage) for their care of John the past several years.

Donations in John’s memory can be made to the Navy-Marine Corp Relief Society https://www.nmcrs.org/.

Fair Winds and Following Seas John!