John Leon Burtwick

John Leon Burtwick was born on June 7, 1927, in Northwood, ND, the son of John William and Ida Josephine (Hagen) Burthwick. John grew up and attended school in the Northwood, ND area. He enlisted in the United States Navy in August of 1944 and was honorably discharged in June of 1946. He served on the USS Intrepid as a Fireman 2/c. John was a member of the American Legion. John was a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 302 since 1956, having worked as a crane operator. He worked on the building of the Alaskan Pipeline from its beginning to its completion as well as building many bridges in the Seattle Washington area where he lived.

John was a great storyteller and loved to tell about World War II and the Intrepid as well as his work and experiences as a crane operator. John was a great friend and neighbor to those living in the 8800 block of 18th Ave SW in Seattle and surrounding neighborhoods where he lived for many years. John could fix just about anything and “hard work” was his middle name. He loved to help people and offered his services to many, making many long term friends and neighbors. During the years that John worked on the Pipeline and for several years following, his then wife, Joan kept the home fires burning until she moved to Williston, ND to care for her ailing mother.

During the last years of his life, John lived at Garden Terrace in Federal Way where he was greatly loved and cared for by all the staff whom he charmed with his wonderful smile and wit from the day he stepped foot in there. The family wants to give them a special thanks and appreciation for all that they did for John. John’s good friends took turns visiting him every day and the family is indebted to them, especially Claudia DeLeon and her brothers and sisters and Wanda Eldridge for the dedication, love, and care they gave him. The family also wants to thank Stacy Phillips, guardian of person, for all her help and assistance in giving personal attention to John over the past three years as well.

John is survived by his brother, Budd (Karen) Burthwick, Bovey, MN; a daughter, Katherine Burtwick, of Dilworth, MN and a son, Dennis Burthwick and his wife Pauline of Moorhead, MN; two grandchildren, Star (Ross) Boe, Moorhead, MN, Tara Shyrock, Colorado Springs, CO; and 5 great grandchildren, Julia (Boe), Isaac, Joel, Seth, and Anna (Shyrock).

John is preceded in death by his parents and his brothers Kenneth, Bill, Harold, William Robert, Dale Curtis, and a sister, (June) Irene.

Funeral Services will be held at Yarington’s Funeral Home, 10708 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98416, (206)242-2271 at 11:00 am on Thursday, August 25, 2011. Internment with military honors will be held at the Tahoma National Cemetery following the service. Online guestbook http://www.yaringtons.com/dm20/en_US/locations/22/2285/index.page