John Michael Rushforth

On October 24, 2024 John Michael Rushforth of Winchester, California passed away at home surrounded by his wife and sons, fulfilling his final wish. He was 84 years old. John was born in 1940 in Barnsley, England to Percy Rushforth and Lillian Smith. In 1949, when John was 9 years old, he arrived in the USA with his mother and two brothers, Bernard and Derrick, and settled in Indiana. John became a United States citizen at the age of 14. John met and married the love of his life- Jean Kawabata in 1961 in Hawaii. They had two sons, and resided in Bayshore, NY before relocating to Winchester, CA in 2001. He served in the U.S. Navy for 10 years and subsequently joined the New York City Police Department in (1969) until retirement (1981). John loved to play golf and became a PGA pro and instructor. In retirement, John enjoyed investigating and documenting his family's genealogy. He was a meticulous woodworker and made multiple items such as picture frames, grandchildren's gifts and furniture for their home. John and Jean loved to attend and host parties with multiple Hawaiian cousins. He always had a big smile and was known as the friendliest "Haole" ever! John is survived by three children; Leilani (Kevin) McGough, John M. Rushforth Jr. (Jodi) and David L. Rushforth, 7 grandchildren, Hollie (Nathan) Kunishige, Ryan McGough, David A. (Maria) Rushforth, Sara (Matt) Creevan, Gabrielle (Aaron) Farris, Nicholas (Jessica) Rushforth and Sidney Scrivano, and 19 great grandchildren.