John William Perdue Jr.

1935 - 2018

John William Perdue, Jr
May 9, 1935 - June 30, 2018
Resident of Pleasanton
John William Perdue Jr. passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family on June 30, 2018 at the age of 83. In John's own words…Born May 9, 1935 in Long Beach, Ca to John W. Perdue Sr., a career Navy man, and Ellen Virginia West, a Registered Nurse. In 1952, John was offered a baseball contract to play for the New York Yankees as a catcher, but declined it when he was drafted for the Korean War, where he served in Puerto Rico for two years. When he returned, he attended SDSU and worked 45 hrs a week at Dorman's Tire, changing oil on trucks. He worked his way up to Vice President of the company in charge of operations, manufacturing, and sales. In 1972, the business was sold to Lucky Stores, who at that time was the third largest grocery store in the country. In January 1976, he had an opportunity to buy a Bandag retread plant in Northern California and he moved to Fremont with his wife, Gail, and brother in law, Brian Clarke. John started Perdue Tire and the business performed well, growing exponentially. The business was named "Classic Dealer" for all the United States in 1984, which was a tremendous award offered by Bandag. John sold the business in 1997 and unfortunately, it was never the same again. Bandag bought the assets of Perdue Tire and invited John to help rebuild the organization in Northern California. 4 years later, Bridgestone bought Bandag and invited John to work for their Tire Operations Division, GCR Tires & Service, as a Major Fleet Consultant. John spent 61 years in the tire business, working full time up until his passing.
John was a member of Newark Rotary from 1977-1992. While serving as President, he started the 1st fundraising crab feed and helped raise enough money to buy the Jaws of Life for the Fire Dept. He served on the Washington Hospital Foundation, Ohlone College Foundation, and served as President of the Washington Township Men's Club which was populated by over 400 men. In 1992, John was the founding member and President of the Fremont Rodent Society, where he remained President for 25 years. His proudest moment from all of his years of serving was helping to raise $500,000 for charity through this society.
John resided in San Diego before moving to Fremont in 1976, where he lived for 19 years before moving to Pleasanton. He leaves behind his loving wife of 42 years, Gail Perdue. Also survived by his sister Shirley Miller, son Mike Perdue (Karen), daughter Natalie Acosta (Irwin), son Nicholas Perdue (Emilia), grandchildren Joshua, Dustin, Cody, Devon, Aiden, Kenzo, Isla, Clarke, J.R., and Mac, along with 5 great grandchildren. Preceded in death by his daughter Karen Leo and son Tony Perdue.
John loved to golf and still played racquetball 3 days a week. His friends frequently say he was a mentor to them. He lived his life with integrity and character, treating everyone he met with kindness and respect. John will be greatly missed by all those who were fortunate enough to know him.
There will be a Celebration of Life for John on Saturday, August 4th at 4pm at Spin A Yarn Steakhouse in Fremont, Ca. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to an organization close to John's heart, the Taylor Family Foundation (ttff.org).


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