John Michael Nolan was born on November 14, 1985 at UCSD Medical Center in San Diego. He passed away on June 14, 2020 at Palomar Medical Center in Poway, California after a long illness. John was baptized at St. Brigid Catholic Church in Pacific Beach, and spent much of his youth in the parish, attending religious education classes and receiving his sacraments of initiation there. He was an altar server and member of the youth choir under the direction of Jerry Witt, long-time director of music at St. Brigid, and John’s godfather. He became special friends with Monsignor Sean Murray, pastor at the time, and the parish housekeeper, Ann Sheehan, who for several years watched John during the Mass times when both his parents were serving as music ministers. John particularly enjoyed his years as a member of the Cub Scout pack and Boy Scout troop sponsored by St. Brigid, where he developed his love of the outdoors and sports under the watchful eye of generous volunteer leaders including Mike and Olga Miller, Tom Sweet, and Phil Barlow, among others.
He attended elementary and middle schools in the Pacific Beach, Clairemont and University City communities, before enrolling at St. Augustine High School as a freshman. Uncontrolled migraine headaches prevented him from graduating from high school, but he earned his GED and began using his talents in the manual arts in jobs with a framing contractor, a plumber, and an asphalt contractor. Along the way he became the classic “jack of all trades,” taking great pride in his work in carpentry, electrical, welding, tiling, drywall, painting, and landscaping trades. Like his beloved grandfather, he was a gifted mechanic as well.
John loved to sing, and found his happy place at Peter D’s, a karaoke bar in Clairemont, where he eventually took a part-time job as a security guard so he could sing while he worked, and vice versa. Ever the athlete, he joined bowling and pool leagues, and played in an adult men’s softball league.
A funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, June 27 at 10 a.m. at St. Brigid Catholic Church, located at 4735 Cass Street in Pacific Beach. Attendance is limited to 90 due to Covid 19 restrictions, but the service will be livestreamed. Access the livestreaming link on the parish’s website, www.saintbrigidparish.org. Once the funeral Mass is over, the livestream will convert to one of the videos saved on St. Brigid Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/saintbrigidsd. A visitation will be held at Pacific Beach Mortuary, located at 4710 Cass Street, on Friday, June 26, from 7 – 8:30 p.m. Both events require masks, which will not be provided.
John was a man of quiet faith in God, with deep compassion for those struggling with pain or poverty. Anyone wishing to make a charitable donation in his memory are asked to consider: Father Joe’s Villages, providing shelter, medical care, and job training for the homeless (www.neighbor.org), and the San Diego Food Bank (www.sandiegofoodbank.org).
John is survived by his son, Gabriel, and his parents, Bill and Jenny Nolan.
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