John Raymond Scanlon III

Our brother, son, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend gained his wings on March 7, 2021 after a hard-fought four-year battle with prostate cancer. John Raymond “J.R.” Scanlon III was born June 29, 1944 in New London, Conn., the first of six children. The family moved to El Paso in 1956.

Like his father, John joined the Army and traveled the world. He mastered the Patriot missile system and retired as a Chief Warrant Officer (CW3) after 20 years. He expected perfection from his troops, but was the first to advocate for them. He also worked for Raytheon for 20 years, working with U.S. and Japanese soldiers.

John had a big heart and bigger sense of humor. He loved helping Shriner’s Hospital kids, and performing as a clown at the Shrine Circus and parade. Despite a bad back and knees, he always knelt to greet children at their level, and delighted in helping families. He also was a deacon at St. Stephen’s Church of Hope. John loved his family and adored his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He started a family tradition on July 4, which grew from a few bottle rockets into a major production.

John was preceded in death by his mother, Elizabeth, and youngest daughter, Michelle. He is survived by Bonnie, his bride of almost 54 years; father John R. Jr.; children David (Linda) Stallings, Joy (Nacho) Gomez, Pam (Rick) Cross and Ray (Sylvia) Stallings; siblings Michael (Irene) Scanlon, George (Stella) Scanlon, Marion (Rod) Treat, Alfred (Lorraine) Scanlon and Patrick (Julie) Scanlon; grandchildren Chris, Shane (Abbey), Teresa (Jonathan), Michael, Amanda and Jordyn; great-grandchildren Tylein, Gavin, Cameryn and Bodhi. The family thanks Ms. V and Bill for their generosity.

We will miss you, J.R.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a memorial service will be streamed at 7 p.m. Friday, April 2 on facebook.com/john.scanloniii, Pastor Ben Cruz presiding. Private burial follows at Fort Bliss National Cemetery.