John David Claypool

John David Claypool - mythic father, heroic grandfather, epic uncle, venerable roofing contractor, stunning conversationalist, spectacular social butterfly, treasured friend and neighbor - outside artist of quirky cool- was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 8, 1940. John was the youngest son of Denzil and June Claypool, both originally from Missouri. He was thick as thieves with his three older siblings: Jane Francis Claypool (died 2013), June Anne Seislove, and Denzil (Mike) Leon Claypool (died 2020). His family moved to the Dana Strand housing project in Wilmington, CA in 1943 then moved in 1949 to Redondo Beach, where John lived on Avenue C for most of his life. Following in his father's footsteps, John started drinking alcohol as a Junior at Redondo Union High School then quickly became an alcoholic. John got sober at the age of 38 with the help of Alcoholic's Anonymous and was an active part of the South Bay AA community for decades, helping many others in recovery before retiring to Arizona in 2004. In spite of his alcohol troubles, John won the heart of the infinitely patient Sharon Durant from El Segundo. The happy couple met in 1966 at the Ports of Call beer bar in Redondo Beach, tying the knot in 1970 through fits of nervous laughter. John worked at Joslin Lumber in Torrance, where he taught his daughter, June Ann, to drive a forklift at the age of four, making her fiercely independent. His wild child son, John William, was born in 1976, the same year John senior obtained his contractor's license and founded the Claypool Roofing Company. John and his brother, Mike, roofed houses all across the South Bay for over thirty years, making frequent stops at Seven-Eleven for coffee and Fritos. John drove notoriously slow for a Southern Californian prompting countless honked horns, angry swerves and well-manicured middle fingers along PCH and the Avenues. John played a mean game of basketball then later found his passion for golf, vanilla ice cream and blueberry muffins. A frequent buyer of Lottery tickets, Claypool possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of old movies and U.S. history. But his greatest passion, aside from his family for whom he sacrificed everything and who all adore him beyond comprehension, was his artwork. Inspired by Los Angeles artist Connor Everts, who was a family friend, Claypool started doing artwork seriously at the age of fifty with no formal training. He has since created hundreds of pieces of whimsical abstract "outside" art to the delight of Instagram followers everywhere: www.johnclaypoolart.com or Instagram: @johnclaypoolart. John was a warrior among men on his long, courageous journey with cancer. He was rowdy and wisecracking to the very end then passed away peacefully on February 5, 2022. He was surrounded in love by his devoted wife, grateful children and talented grandchildren, Livia and Lucia, who are both avid artists. John was undoubtedly knocked over by his beloved Golden Retriever, Boomer, the moment he reached the other side.