John Henry LaForge Jr.

John Henry LaForge Jr.
December 27, 1929 - December 16, 2021
John Henry LaForge Jr. who passed away on December 16, 2021, was born in Maywood, CA on December 27, 1929, to John and Anna LaForge. For a time during the depression John and his family moved to Eatonville, WA where they owned and ran the Eatonville Hotel at the foot of Mt. Ranier. John's family moved back to Southern CA when he was 14 and lived in Huntington Park. When he was in the ninth grade, he met Joan Drummey. They dated in high school (where John was a star athlete in both Track & Football) and were married in 1951 while he was home on leave from the Marines. After high school John had a football scholarship lined up to Ohio State, but instead joined the Marine Corp. and headed for Korea. As a machine gunner assigned to the 5th Regiment of the 3rd Battallion, 1st Marine Division, he was in many of the major battles of the Korean War. While he was there, two of his buddies from Huntington Park High School ended up in his platoon. He was always happy to say that all three of them made it home from the war. John and Joan were stationed at Twenty-Nine Palms within Camp Pendleton when they were first married and then bought their first home in Fullerton, CA. Several years later they moved to Nevada City, then Newcastle, Petaluma and finally Occidental where they lived for 30 years. John and Joan raised nine children and were also Foster Parents. John worked in construction, doing drywall and later acoustical ceilings. In 1977 he started LaForge & Sons, out of which he hired many an El Molino and Analy alumni to go to work in the ceiling trade. One of John's favorite things to do was go for a drive. He'd load up the kids in the family station wagon and head off for a day of sight seeing wherever they lived. Beginning in the 1980s, he and Joan began traveling the United States pulling their 5th wheel trailer. He was proud to say they hit every state in the lower 48, plus Alaska and Hawaii (without their 5th wheel). He and Joan were married for 64 years. John was a Boy Scout Leader, Football Coach, and loved salmon fishing. John was always a proud Marine and in his later years attended many Veterans events including a trip with Honor Flights Bay Area to Washington DC. He was also a member of the Autumn Leaves, Senior Club in Sebastopol. John was preceded in death by his parents John LaForge and Anna Vitte LaForge, his sisters, Angeline Kleinpell (Lloyd) and Millie Davis (Ray), his wife Joan LaForge, son David LaForge and grandson John LaForge IV. John was always very proud of his big family. He is survived by his children: Nancy Hancock (Dave), John LaForge III (Sally), Donna Hawkes (Ken), Roger LaForge, Sharon Vannetti (Eugene), Mark LaForge (Lori), Roy LaForge (Tina) and Gene Crawshaw (Heidi) and his 46 grand and great grandchildren. He is also survived by his sisters in law, Virginia Goodman and Shirley Wills of Southern CA, plus many nieces and nephews. Services will be held at a later date. Donations may be made in John LaForge's name to: Honor Flights Bay Area Foundation, P.O. Box 391528, Mountain View, CA 94039.