John Lyle Sheldon

John Lyle SHELDON After a valiant five-year battle with brain cancer, longtime Kirkland resident John Sheldon died peacefully on May 18, 2011 at home with his wife Anita José and sister, Barbara. He was 54 years old. John was born to Lyle and Mary Faye Sheldon on December 6, 1956 in Inglewood, CA and moved from Hawthorne, CA to Omak, WA in 1963. The family later moved to East Wenatchee, WA in 1966 where John graduated from Eastmont High School in 1974. John received a BS in Agricultural Mechanics from Washington State University in 1979. He was preceded in death by his first wife Margaret Helen Gardner in 2002, his father Lyle in 2009 and his mother Mary Faye in 1996. John is survived by his wife Anita José; sister Barbara Evans (Bob) of East Wenatchee, WA; brother Walter of Moses Lake, WA; nephew Scott Evans of Bakersfield, CA; niece Alicia Evans of Hawthorne, CA; mother-in-law Margaret Gardner of Orinda, CA; brother-in-law Chip Gardner of Sheridan, WY; niece Rebecca Gardner of Denver, CO; brother-in-law Tom Gardner of Orinda, CA; brother-in-law Don Gardner (Christina) of Singapore; and niece Jane Gardner of Singapore. John spent his 30-year professional career working at Caterpillar Tractor Company in Peoria, IL and Kenworth Truck Company in Kirkland, WA. At Kenworth, John was proudly awarded a patent in 2003 for his team's development of a method and apparatus for providing fresh air to truck sleeper boxes. In addition to enjoying world travel, John's hobbies and interests were fishing, golf, skiing, bicycling, hiking, music concerts, gardening, handyman home projects and learning Spanish. During his travels, John visited almost every state in the US and especially enjoyed Alaska and Montana and visiting our National Parks. Italy was his favorite country to visit. His legacy is to be remembered as a nice guy and a good man by family, friends and coworkers. The family extends special thanks to Doctors Ali Naini, Aimee Kohn and Marc Chamberlain and their wonderful staff, Don of Juanita Bay Pharmacy and Evergreen Hospital Hospice. A memorial service will be held in John's honor at Barton Funeral Home located at 11630 Slater Ave NE, Suite 1A in Kirkland, WA at 10:00 a.m. on May 26, 2011 followed by burial in Evergreen Memorial Park in East Wenatchee, WA at 12 p.m. on May 27, 2011. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Special Olympics of Washington or the Humane Society, both of which John was a longtime supporter.