TAPSWe regret to report that our friend and fellow marine John Stephen Howard died today, 22 July 2002, at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.
John Stephen Howard was born in Pomona, California on October 29, 1929 and passed away July 22, 2002 in Los Angeles after a valiant struggle with cancer. He was a seventh-generation Californian and a descendant of Jose Antonio Yorba, who was a member of the Portola Expedition, in 1769. He attended St. Joseph's school, and high school and junior college in Pomona.
At UCLA, he was president of his fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta. Upon graduation from UCLA he served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps. His assignments included The Officers Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, and Naval Aviation Training in Pensacola, Florida and Corpus Christi, Texas. After Designation as a Naval Aviator he was assigned to Marine Fighter Squadron 323 at El Toro, California where he flew the Grumman F9F-5 Panther. His next assignment was in the Far East at Atsugi, Japan. Serving first as the Provost Marshal for the Naval Air Station Atsugi and then as a pilot in Marine Fighter Squadron 235, The Death Angels. During this assignment he flew the North American FJ-2 and FJ-4 Fury. He was released from Active Duty as a Marine Corps Captain, after serving on active duty from 1952-1956. His next profession was as a Real Estate Broker specializing in Office Buildings in and around Los Angeles including a special focus on Wilshire Boulevard. At Coldwell Banker, where he worked for 22 years, he was "top salesman" throughout the 1970s. As a mentor to many who entered the Real Estate Profession he was loved and admired for his knowledge and the ability to pass it on.
John attended the first Squadron-235 gathering in Pensacola in 1989 and missed few of the 13 subsequent squadron gatherings. His friendship and his wit will be missed.
John with Jim Strawn - D.C. 2000 Vince, Jim, John, Tom, Warren - Pensacola Jan. 2002
Dick Ritchie and John Howard (L-R) Atsugi 1956
Click on photographs for larger image
