John Isaacs

John Isaacs

Hansville - John Isaacs, Hansville, passed away on June 10, 2019 following a heart attack. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Bonnie, and grandson, Joshua. His daughter, Gina, predeceased him in 2016. John was born in Johannesburg, SA, in 1929. After finishing school he traveled Africa working at various jobs, including in a traveling carnival. He and an English friend traveled Europe and the UK, picking up work as they went and participating in road shows featuring strong men. When his sister married Reg Park, a well known body builder, John joined them in London. He won the Mr Universe title in the short division in 1953 and 1958. He continued training throughout his life and won titles well into his 40's.

He moved to Canada, working on the DEW line on Baffin Island. From there he continued traveling, ending up in the legendary Muscle Beach in Venice, Calif. There a friend working in the film industry suggested John go to work as an electrician and that was the beginning of a long career for John. Starting as a strong guy carrying cables and lighting equipment he worked his way up from Best Boy to Gaffer. He worked on many films but felt there was greater creative opportunity in the area of commercials and for the last 30 years of his career he did that exclusively. He loved what he did and the people he worked with. On retirement he and his wife moved to western Washington state and John said almost every day what a great place it is and how thankful he was to live here.