John Paul Gauthier

JOHN P. GAUTHIER

July 13, 1921 to June 13, 2001

John Paul Gauthier was born on July 13, 1921 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Jack was a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who entered military service in April 1942 when he became an aviation cadet. Training at various stations in Texas, he graduated as an Army pilot in August 1943. He was further trained as a B-17 bomber pilot before being sent to England to fly with the 388th bomb group in England. He flew 30 combat missions, most as pilot of the crew leading large formations of group and division size. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 5 oak leaf clusters, and the European Theater medal with 5 battle stars. He also earned two Air Force commendation medals and other decorations of lesser rank. While under his command the 7167th Air Transport Squadron was awarded The Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation. He was a pilot, military and civilian for 52 years.

After WW II, he served on recruiting duty and then as a pilot on the Berlin Airlift. In the early 50's he was the commander of a basic military training squadron and later became the Director of Military Training, USAF Officer Candidate School, both at Lackland AFB. When the Air Force Academy was being established, he was selected for assignment there and became the commander of the New Cadet Training Group. That assignment was followed by a tour of duty in Germany as Commander of the Special Air Missions Squadron. Returning to the U.S., he became Inspector General, 2481st Reserve Group.

Retiring from the Air Force in 1965, Col. Gauthier operated a civilian flying school owned by the Champion Aircraft Co. and later became manager of their manufacturing plant at Osceola, Wisconsin. In 1966 he accepted an offer to become Chief Pilot for the Minnesota Department of Aeronautics. Transferring to the Public Safety Department, he then became Director of Emergency services for a thirteen county area.

Retiring from that position in 1978, he became a part-time employee of the Federal Management Agency working only when called in response to a presidential declared disaster. He continued to work in this capacity until 1992.

Jack and Billie came to Air Force Village II in August 1987 and he very much enjoyed living among friends with similar backgrounds and interests.

Jack passed away on June 13th 2001 in Minnesota where he and Billie had a summer place at the lake. In addition to Billie, he is survived by three sons, Ray, John Jr, and James, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

In the words of the book written by Tom Brokaw, he was a vital part of "The Greatest Generation."

TRIBUTE FROM RAYMOND C. GAUTHIER

Stephen Covey became rich and famous by writing a book called The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In it, he says the key to leading a successful life is to embrace a core set of principles and beliefs and make every important decision in your life based on these principles. Dad did just that. He knew what he believed, made decisions based on those beliefs, and was willing to suffer whatever consequences might result from those decisions.

From my earliest memories of childhood, I learned that you tell the truth, no matter what. I learned never to raise my voice to my mother. I learned to do my chores, on time, everyday, without complaining about them. I learned it was good to be passionate about something and to fight for you believe in. And I learned that regardless of the personal consequences, to always do the right thing.

Some might say this was a restrictive upbringing, but it was anything but that. I had the comfort of knowing exactly where the boundaries were and the freedom to make decisions, including mistakes, as long as I stayed within the boundaries. I was encouraged to try new things, tackle major challenges, and set big goals.

Dad modeled principled centered behavior and decision making for us everyday of his life. It is evidenced by his 66 year relationship with my mother, by the kinds in individuals his three sons, eight grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren have become, by his outstanding military career built without the benefit of formal academic education, by his willingness to pitch-in and help those in need of his help, and by the number of people and depth of emotion expressed here today.

I once heard Dad say, "I have three sons, all of whom are contributing members of society, financially successful, married to their first wives, and who genuinely enjoy coming to visit me, I guess I can't be too bad a guy." He was absolutely right. I will miss going to visit him very much.

TRIBUTE FROM JOHN P. GAUTHIER, JR.

HONOR. Of all the words in the English language honor, best describes the life of Jack Gauthier. Honor defines a person "possessing a good name, a keen sense of ethical conduct, someone whose word is a guarantee of performance ". The decision to defend his honor while a young teenager is the primary reason Dad's formal education ended with the 8th grade. The school principal, while attempting to identify the students responsible for some mischief at the school, called Dad to the office and accused him of the offense. When Dad denied responsibility, the principal called him a liar. The verbal accusations and the denial resulted in a fistfight and Dad was expelled from school, never to return. Dad could accept the accusation, but NOT being called a liar.

The next example of why the word honor best defines Dad is based on years of observation, which comes into better focus as I gain additional life experience. Honoring marriage vows. Dad and Mom celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last March. Their marriage began when Dad was only nineteen and has survived financial hardship, war, long separations, and the daily responsibilities of raising children. These challenges only made their relationship stronger.

Military service. Dad's commitment to, duty, honor, country is well understood in this community as

many here today share similar life experiences. The confidence and leadership Dad learned while in the military defined his lifelong persona. For Jack Gauthier, serving his country was an honor.

Airforce Village II has been home for Mom and Dad for fourteen years. They selected this retirement option because the value system is an extension of their lifelong interests and values. I want all of you to know when Jack came in for his final landing the winds where calm, and the touchdown was gentle; so next time you experience an exceptional landing think of Jack Gauthier.

TRIBUTE FROM JAMES D. GAUTHIER

The afternoon of June 17th I received my Dad's guitar. It will be one of the last gifts I receive from him as his personal possessions are divided among the families of his three sons.

These last gifts are important, as each one is associated with a particular memory of my father. But last gifts are not nearly as important as the lasting gifts my father gave me throughout my life. There are many, but I'd like to mention two of them.

The first is devotion to family. Throughout his life he demonstrated that devotion to his family was the most important thing in his life. When I was a young child my grandmother Balch lived with us for what seemed to me to be a very long time. I'm sure that it must have seemed like a long time to him occasionally as well, but she stayed with us or near us in different care facilities for her entire life. I remember the hours upon hours he spent with his granddaughter, Tanya - holding her, singing to her, talking to her, exercising her limbs, while she slowly gained weight and strength in the first months of her life. Less than a month ago he drove six hours and endured about six more hours of what he certainly considered to be horrible music, just to catch a few glimpses of his youngest granddaughter, Emily, perform in her last dance recital.

The fact is that, although as a child I never expected to receive everything I wanted, I also never questioned that my father would provide me with everything I needed.

Yesterday I read these words, written by my second cousin, Karen:

"I think you know uncle Jack will always have a special place in my heart. I reflect in particular but not exclusively on how solidly he was there for the girls and me in 1980. He gave me some excellent advice during that time - and most excellent comfort."

The world would be a better place if similar words could be written about more people.

The second gift is the gift of music. For as long as I can remember there was music in our house. The den was always full of old guitars, a wire music stand, and music books of popular tunes. Dad was an active "barbershopper" for many years and in his last couple of years had re-dedicated himself to learning to play the guitar. He encouraged my interest as I became more seriously involved in music at school and later as a career. Most importantly, he always tolerated the constant commotion associated with practicing, a non-stop record player and basement rock n roll bands.

One of my last memories of Dad is watching him, off in a corner, playing his new guitar and singing "Bye Bye Blues".

Mark Schlick, a friend of mine since elementary school and professional musician in Minneapolis, wrote this to me a couple of days ago:

"Tonight at my gig I'll think of your Dad and his contribution to our being able to bring pleasure to others through music"

My Dad loved music and his love of music touched many of you here today. And when I am in my home, surrounded by my family, playing my Dad's guitar, I'll know that he knows how his lasting gifts touched me.