John Edwin Packham

of 25 years, Ginny. After years of battling a lung disease depriving him of oxygen, at 70 years old, it was

time to return to his Father in Heaven.

John was the third son out of four (Paul, Garry, John, Ray) from Don and Mary Packham. Born in

Wendell, Idaho on October 12, 1951, the family lived in the very small town of Fairfield, Idaho. The Don

Packham family moved to Hemet, California in 1952. John spent his childhood years growing up when

Hemet was small and quiet. Surrounded by apricot orchards and walnut groves, Hemet was a safe place

for young boys to ride their bikes all over town. After attending Hemet Elementary and Acacia School, John

became a Hemet High School bulldog playing football, wrestling, running track and graduating in 1969.

After high school he served in the Army National Guard at the post in Hemet for eight years. He continued

taking classes at Mt. San Jacinto College where he graduated with his AA degree. He married his first

wife LaDena and raised four boys; Craig, Ryan, Joel, and Steven. John worked at Midway Texaco gas

station in high school, later managing five stations where he learned the basics of repair and maintenance

for service stations. This background along with a few years in the construction business prepared him

for a business opportunity in building, maintaining, and testing tanks and equipment for service stations.

He co-owned Packham and Toomey for thirty-four years, the petroleum business probably contributed

to his lung problems. For many years John enjoyed going to the “river” with family and friends. He had a

boat and a couple of wave runners that always kept everyone playing. He enjoyed hiking, camping,

time at the beach, and cruises with his wife Ginny. John always loved sports and as his boys participated,

he was involved in coaching and especially refereeing soccer. He met his second wife Ginny on the

soccer field as they both had children playing. They were married and John quickly grew to love her

children; Candace, Lynette, Gregg, and Kyle.

John volunteered for years as a scoutmaster, soccer coach/referee, and served his church.

His biggest joy was spending time with his grandchildren and making videos to build memories that

will last forever. He was a spiritual man of great faith, holding various positions with the Church of

Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His faith in his Father in Heaven and the love for his family helped

him endure his progressive disease for many years. He leaves behind his wife, Ginny, three brothers,

eight children, and twenty-two grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held on August 20, 2022

at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Park Hill Avenue in Hemet, Ca at 2:00 pm