John Nootbaar

John Michael Nootbaar passed away peacefully at home on June 25, 2024, with his family by his side. John was born in Pasadena, CA on September 5, 1940 to Herbert and Dorothy Nootbaar. John was raised in Pasadena, graduating from Pasadena High School in 1958 and from USC in 1963. As a youth, his happiest times were spent on the beaches in and around Laguna Beach, where he surfed and was a lifeguard with his older brother, Bob.

John married his college sweetheart from USC, Linda Nelson, with whom they had four children. He began his career as a school teacher in Fountain Valley, and a few years later he moved to Pasadena and went to work for his father at H.V. Nootbaar & Co. before going into the securities business where he worked for Paine Webber, Shearson Lehman, and others in Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Glendale. He was remarried to Carol Mabbutt in 1975 and later owned and operated a fine dining restaurant, On the Boulevard, in La Crescenta.

Nothing gave John more pleasure than great weather and the ocean, whether it be open-water swimming and snorkeling, watching the waves and wildlife, or simply enjoying the sunset over the Pacific, so he and Carol returned to Laguna Beach full time in 1989, where he taught as a substitute teacher at Orange
County schools for at-risk youth until fully retiring.

After Carol's passing, he stayed in Laguna and was married to their mutual friend, Caren Reily. John and Caren lived happily there by the ocean until his passing, staying actively involved in the Rotary Club of Laguna Beach, The Laguna Beach Historical Society, and the Laguna Beach Community Clinic. John is preceded in death by his older brother, Robert, second wife, Carol, and his stepson, Jeff Mabbutt. He is survived by his sister, JoAnne Rogers, his four children, Sally Wing (Darryll), Charlie (Kumi), Julie (Osamu), and Joe (Pam), as well as his stepson Scott Mabbutt. He is also survived by his 8 grandchildren and the Reily family members.

The family is grateful for, and wants to recognize the amazing assistance and care at the house provided by his personal assistant Marisa Peasley and his caregivers Marisol Esquivel, Evelyn (Danie) Martinez, and Liz Rodriguez.