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John R. Isherwood

May 27, 1929 - October 17, 2011

John R. Isherwood Obituary (Age 82) If Dad were telling the story, he would have been 29 when he died October 17, 2011--He stopped counting birthdays after that magic age. Indeed his spirit may have really been 29 because he always kept the humor and grace of a much younger man, though he was born May 27, 1929. He was born in Seattle, but he always claimed Spokane as his home town, and his parents, siblings, in-laws and extended family lived in the area. Dad loved jokes, the cornier the better, so naturally puns were a great fit. In keeping with a time-honored Christmas tradition, the family would play "Decorate Dad" as soon as he fell asleep in his favorite chair: ribbons, bows, maybe some tinsel, the occasional ornament...we think he faked sleep just to see how creative we could get. Dad's first career was the US military, starting with the Navy and eventually switching to the Air Force, retiring as a Master Sergeant after 26 years of service. His duty stations included Spokane, California, Goose Bay, Labrador, Texas, New Mexico, Thailand, Kansas, England, Hawaii, Japan, Florida and Washington D.C. Dad served in the military during some pretty tense times: we were at a SAC (Strategic Air Command) base during the Cuban Missile Crisis, he was stationed in Viet Nam (albeit briefly) and most of his other service years were during the cold war. In Hawaii Dad was quite involved in "Operation Homecoming", helping soldiers who were returning from Viet Nam. After he retired from the Air Force he worked at the Post Office in Washington, D.C. Upon retirement in 1993 Dad and Mom moved back to Spokane. Family was the cornerstone of Dad's life. He married Julia Peterson on July 30, 1948. Sons Kevin (1949) and Terry (1953) and daughters Robin (1955) and Nancy (1961) came along and sometimes we had to cramp into a small abode until something large enough for all of us was available in base housing. He often worked a second job to make ends meet. One we didn't mind much was when he worked in the base theater as a projectionist: all his kids got in free! One of Dad's Christmas traditions was bringing Mom a poinsettia on Christmas Eve. It would always show up as a surprise, either on the coffee table or on the hearth. One year at dinner, Mom noticed no poinsettia. After dessert, his children asked about the poinsettia. Dad looked a bit surprised then said he just forgot. Fortunately we found a poinsettia that evening, but this turned out to be an early sign of something much more serious, Alzheimer's dementia. We will miss you forever Dad and we promise Mom will always have a beautiful red poinsettia around Christmas and the card will read: "Merry Christmas Judy, Love John" Thanks to the wonderful folks at the Northpoint Retirement Community, Dad was able to live his life in a dignified way for the last year and a half of his life. John was preceded in death by his parents Clarence and Myrtle (Harms) Isherwood, his sister Corrine Jahnsen and brother Clare Isherwood. He is survived by his wife Judy; sons Kevin and Terry; daughters Robin and Nancy and several grandchildren. Funeral Service 2:00PM Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at Heritage Chapel with interment following, with military honors at Fairmount Memorial Park.

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