John Francis Cuttrell

Educated by the Sisters of St. Joseph at St. Cecilia’s Catholic School and by the brothers and priests at Mt. Carmel High School (Class of 1962), John was an outstanding student who excelled in language and literature, and he was an accomplished athlete in baseball and football, playing football into his college years. He achieved a Bachelor of Arts in English at Cal State University, Los Angeles. The friends John made in his youth remained his friends for life.

He worked briefly in private industry before beginning what was to become a 30-year career with the City of Los Angeles, retiring in the year 2000 from his respected work with the Police Department in a series of management-level civilian positions.

His greatest achievement with the City was having met the love of his life, Mary Ann, in the early years of his career. They married in 1971, and soon thereafter John adopted Mary Ann’s twin sons, Joe and Jesse, whom he loved and cared for. They subsequently had two more sons, Brian and Mark. John loved being a dad to those boys, drawing them into a life of sports both as players and spectators. He and Mary Ann committed many hours to the boys’ baseball endeavors, and John skillfully coached a few teams along the way.

No matter where the family lived, either in Walnut California or Henderson Nevada, John remained faithful to his beloved Rams and Dodgers, through the best of times and the worst of times, as long as there was another game on the horizon.

In addition to the love of sports, John loved old movies and television shows and could recite the story lines of his favorites at the drop of a cowboy hat. Even more, he enjoyed all kinds of music, and would often be found listening to his favorites, either at home or in the car. Technology changed his world, and he would spend hours making playlists and burning CDs of his favorites to share with family and friends. He could pull what would seem to be a random mix of songs together for any individual that would uniquely suit their likes and personality.

John proudly served the United States of America as a member of the Army National Guard from 1965 to 1971, fulfilling his commitment to remain vigilant until the time of his honorable discharge.

Upon his retirement, the family moved to Henderson. Shortly thereafter, Mom (Kathryn) sold her home in West Covina California and relocated to Las Vegas to be near several of her children, and to retire to assisted living. John took on the responsibility of looking after her finances and overall well-being so that she could enjoy her remaining years living the life of Riley, and the rest of the family could rest in the knowledge that she was in extremely capable hands. All were grateful for his gentle ways.

John is survived by his wife of over 55 years, Mary Ann, and their sons Joseph, Jesse, Brian, and Mark (Kathleen) Cuttrell; and grandchildren Tori, Johnny, and Alyssa. He is also survived by his brother George (Sharon) Cuttrell, sister Julie Cuttrell, and literally dozens of nieces, nephews, and greats. He was predeceased by his parents, Alfred and Kathryn, and his sisters and brothers in law Kathleen (Joseph) Navetta, Jeannette Cuttrell, and Mary (Jay) Dombrowski.

The impact of John’s life will live on in this loving and grateful family.

Currently, no decisions have been made regarding services. The family will be grateful for any comments or photographs that visitors to this site may wish to share.