John L. Warren

Long-time Los Alamos resident John L. Warren passed away in San Diego, Calif. on May 23 under hospice care for cancer and Alzheimer's disease. John was preceded in death by his wife Phyllis June Warren.

Born in 1932 in Chicago, Ill., John and June came to Los Alamos in the late 1950's after John received his PhD in Physics from the University of Maryland followed by a professorship at De Pauw University in Indiana. He and June built a home in White Rock where they raised their two daughters, Melinda (Mindy) and Rita. John's most meaningful memories at the lab included working at the Omega reactor, and his time in the Director's Office and at the Meson facility. He also did stints at Boeing in Seattle working on the "Star Wars" project and in Texas on the Superconducting Supercollider. He finished his career as a physics instructor and math tutor at UNMLA.

John was a "renaissance man" in his ability to do math and physics, create architectural drawings, do woodwork, fix his own cars, and appreciate classical music, opera, and dance. Among his passions were rifle and pistol shooting, healthy nutrition and fitness, UFO investigations, and, ultimately, table tennis, which he enjoyed well into his later years with his friends at the LA Table Tennis Association. As "Dad," he was known for his quirky obsession with physics, often being perched in the stands at Mindy's horse shows with his 4-inch thick book called Gravitation. At Aspen Ridge, he was the favorite dance partner of all the resident ladies and helpers.

John is survived by daughters Rita of San Diego, and Mindy; granddaughter Kaitlyn; and great grandson Caiden of Waller, TX. Condolences may be sent to ritamwarren@hotmail.com.

We will miss him. As his family, we like to think that, upon his passing, he is now one step closer to discovering his elusive "unified theory".