John graduated from South Pasadena High School in 1943, joined the Navy in September of that year and served as a Motor Machinist Mate on an LST 937 until his honorable discharge April 3, 1946.  He received two Stars for serving in the Asiatic Pacific Area, American Area, Philippine Liberation, and the Victory Medal World War II.

John's wife, Jacque graduated from St. Andrew's Girls High in Pasadena in 1946.  John and Jacque met in 1948 while she was attending PCC and they were married in February 1950, at St. Elizabeth's Church in Altadena.  Their son was born May 14, 1956.  John and Jacque divorced in 1958.  John married again and moved the following years to San Diego, CA; Corona, CA; Malibu, CA; Hawaii; and finally to Lodi, California.  They adopted two daughters, Brooke and Linnea.  John's main business was insurance claims work although he did have a grape vineyard and cherry orchard and raised quarter horses at various times.

Meantime, Jacque remarried in 1960.  She and her new husband raised her son, Mike, his son, Judge, and eventually moved to Orange County where she continued her interior design work for many years, took an early retirement, went back to finish college, and became an ABA certified paralegal.  Her husband passed away in 1990.

Through the years John's sister, Anne Sutphin Deaver '46 and Jacque had been and remained friends albeit long distance.  A year after John's second wife passed away, Anne managed to bring John and Jacque together again and they were remarried in January 1996, same church, and even some of the same witnesses.  Needless to say, they were both retired by then and looked forward to spending time with their son, his daughters, and all of the grandchildren.

They decided to live in Lodi and enjoyed many good times with visiting grandchilren and good friends.  In May 2003, they sold their home and moved to Vancouver, Washington.  John felt time was running out for him and wanted to make sure Jacque would be near their son, Mike, his wife Tammy and their four children; Liz, Chris, and twins Cathy and Vicky.

About that time John's pulmonary fibrosis condition had worsened to the point that he was in and out of the V.A. Hospital in Portland, Oregon, and finally moved to the V.A. Skilled Care unit (hospice) in Vancouver, October 4, 2004 where he passed away.

Submitted by Jacque Sutphin in memory of John Sutphin