1937-2010
Born in Cleveland OH on April 10, 1937, John passed away on October 20, 2010 in Puyallup WA. John’s family moved in 1945 to Washington State and settled in Puyallup where his father, Patrick was a plasterer, and his mother, Louise McPherson, was an elementary schoolteacher. He attended elementary and high school in Puyallup. After attending the University of Washington for a few years, John transferred to Sacramento State University in California. John lived in Northern California after graduating from college, then moved to Arizona where he met his wife, Joann. They married and lived in Phoenix, where their daughter Christine was born in 1966. They then moved to Washington State, where their daughter Suzanne was born in 1967, and settled in the Tacoma area. In 1980 John bought his house in Puyallup where he lived after he and Joann divorced until he moved into an apartment in Puyallup in 2006. Even though they were no longer married, John and Joann remained very good friends and stayed close until his passing. John was also very close with his daughters, Christine, of Northern California, and Suzanne, of Tacoma.
Professionally, John worked for many years as a stockbroker for Dean Witter and E.F. Hutton/Lehman Brothers.
Despite having numerous health problems, John’s sense of humor and positive spirit never left him. Even at the end, when he was feeling very poorly, he managed to joke and laugh with the nurses who said he was a delight to care for.
John enjoyed cooking and always looked forward to preparing meals for his family and friends. He also was an avid fisherman, and had a love of gardening and birds. At his home in Puyallup on Clark’s Creek he would look forward to planting his extensive vegetable and flower gardens each year, and had the company of many birds that he would feed and place houses for. In addition, John loved animals, especially dogs. He always had a few dogs as companions, the best among them being Mandy, a retriever mix who was his constant companion for 16 years. He loved to go camping along the Yakima River and take Mandy along where they had many wonderful adventures.
No funeral service will be held, in accordance with John’s wishes. Rather, he asked that his loved ones scatter his ashes in the Yakima River at the spot that he so loved, along with those of his beloved canine companion, Mandy.
If you wish to do something in John’s memory, please make a donation to an Animal Shelter or an Animal Rescue Group.
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