John David Warfield

Phoenix - John David Warfield III, 97, entered into rest on November 13, 2020 at home in Phoenix, Arizona, joining his wife and love of his life Irene Pierce Warfield. John met Irene in the mid-1960s after moving to Phoenix for work. Married in 1967, John became stepfather to Irene's two children, Gary Michael and Patricia Lynn, and Gary avows, "He was a great father." John and Irene shared 47 years of devoted marriage, travelling the country for years in their little RV with their beloved English Springer Spaniel Peaches following John's retirement at 59. An expert in stress management before it had the name, he loved his freedom, happy to be able to just "goof off," amused if anyone wondered how he would fare after he retired. Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1923, John was the elder son of Helen Totten Warfield and John D. (Jack) Warfield Jr. He attended Lake Forest Academy, the strongest man on a campus of 150. He joined a special navigation training program of the U.S. Army Air Forces at the University of Chicago during the Second World War, and later graduated from UCLA in 1950 with a degree in meteorology. In between, he bought a small dairy farm in northern California on the G.I. bill, and despite loving his beautiful Jersey cows, discovered the farming life was not for him. He and first wife Layne Warfield (née Mary Elaine Lenzi, d. 1981) moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1950 with their two children Winston Scott and Joan Phoebe. John and his younger brother Totten fell in love with the Southwest in summers of their teen-aged years when they worked on their Aunt Kit Hutchinson's Little Outfit Ranch in the San Rafael Valley of SE Arizona. John and Totten were inseparable in their youth, and had many exploits and adventures together where they grew up in Riverside, Illinois, on their aunt's ranch, on their travels, and on deep sea fishing trips to Mexico in the bare-bones boat the Warfield brothers owned and shared between their families. Totten begins stories about his brother with the words of childhood friend Tom Welch, who said "John always marched to the beat of a different drummer." Born to privilege, John turned his back on this birthright, fiercely critical of hypocrisy in all its forms, of materialism and consumerism, of exploitation of the working class, and of conventional morality and superficiality, with its social niceties and norms. He always identified with, respected and elevated those less fortunate. His values centered on integrity, humility, and simplicity. He rejected the limelight, yet was not above wild and daredevil feats as a youth and younger man, continuing to climb, prune, and harvest his beloved citrus trees into his 90s. Lover of the natural world, expert in all things clouds and weather, in the early 1950s John worked on a University of Arizona sponsored cloud seeding project lead by Dr. Irving Crick, travelling the remote back roads and ranches of Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico to promote the placement of silver iodide generators. He learned to speak Spanish well and would often take his children on these and other outdoor adventures, soloing as parent protector, or camping, boating, hiking and picnicking as a family. He loved Mexico - "Old Mexico" as he called it - and greatly admired Mexican people. With an exceptionally fine mind, adept in math and science, John went on to work as a Technical Writer for RCA Service Company, then as a Computer Systems Trainer for General Electric and later Honeywell, starting in the very early days of punch cards and giant computer main frames. He was loved by his many international training groups at Honeywell for his patience, generosity and kindness. In his intensely quiet, deeply thoughtful, very private, unassuming and intentional manner, he led an exemplary life. John is survived by son Winston Warfield (Debbie), grandchildren Dylan and Sean Warfield, daughter Joan Warfield, stepchildren Gary Blake and Patricia Baldwin, stepgranddaughter Shannon Hunter, brother Totten K. Warfield, Sr., nephews and nieces T.K. Warfield, Jr. (Donna) Tom Warfield (Karen), Susan Preimesberger (Neal), and Pamela Sands (Jeff), half-sister Janan Myers, and nephews Matt (Kerry) and Rick (Katy) Myers. A small Visitation and Graveside Funeral Service with immediate family and special caregivers present, in keeping with the times, was held on November 19, 2020. John was interred at Hansen Desert Hills Memorial Park in Scottsdale, Arizona alongside his beloved Irene. Without Gary M. Blake's dedication, love, and care, John wouldn't have been able to remain at home, his ardent wish, and without the support and expert caregiving of Joy Martinez in particular, Gary says he couldn't have done it. The family also wish to thank special caregivers Luzmaria Torres, Massa Fahnbulleh, and Spring Keller, as well as the additional caregivers and staff of Home Instead who helped John, and the nurses and staff of Homestead Hospice who likewise made John's last two years possible at home. Donations in John's name may be made to the Desert Mission Food Bank, 9229 N. 4th St., Phoenix, AZ 85020 (www.desertmission.com), where John delivered great quantities of fresh citrus he harvested from his yard and whole neighborhood for many years, or if preferred in Tucson, to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, P.O. Box 551, Tucson, AZ 85702 (www.communityfoodbank.org). Please visit hansenmortuary.com to leave an online condolence or to share a memory of John.