John was born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was married to my aunt (Arlene Rhodes) in 1942.

I believe he was a cargo pilot in the Army Air Forces during World War II. After the war he remained on active duty and 
intergrated into the United States Air Force in 1948. One of the areas he was stationed was Newfoundland.

In 1953, his wife gave birth to a daughter (Vicki Bishop). In 1958, he was stationed at Hickham Air Force Base in Hawaii.

In September 1958, while cutting grass at his on base residence, he collapsed and died from a fatty embolism that went from his liver to his heart.  His wife died in 1985 at the age of 62 from lung cancer. She was cremated and her ashes were deposited in the Gulf of Mexico.