John Lennon Eilers

John Lennon Eilers

August 9, 1939 – January 19, 2026

John Eilers passed away from congestive heart failure, which he had for several years. He died peacefully at Alamitos Belmont Rehab Center. He is survived by his wife, Nancy. John married Nancy Montrosse on March 21, 1972, in Culver City, California. They were married for 53 years.

John was born in Huron, South Dakota, to William and Ethel Eilers. He had one sibling, William Eilers Jr., who was ten years his senior and passed away in 2003.

John’s hometown was Huron, South Dakota, which is in the heartland of the Midwest. He would walk a few blocks and be in the middle of a cornfield. He loved the state. In high school, he and his friends would go hunting before and after school. He graduated from Huron High School and attended one year at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology before transferring to Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he graduated with a degree in Finance.

After receiving his degree in Finance in 1962, he joined the Navy and attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. He was commissioned Ensign in August 1961 and served on an oil supply ship on the East Coast, when the ship was sent to refuel U.S. naval ships during the Cuban Blockade. For the second shift of his duty, he was assigned to the West Coast and left service in 1965 as a Lieutenant (Junior Grade).

He spent 15 or so years working at Hughes Helicopter Company and Hughes Aircraft Company as Chief of Budget and Forecast and left aerospace around 1980 to go into real estate, representing buyers and sellers. He and Nancy also invested in real estate for their own account.

He volunteered for many groups. One of the more notable groups was the Torrance Junior Chamber of Commerce, where he was awarded “Man of the Year” for his work in the Special Olympics. He was a member of the Hughes Helicopter Credit Union for a number of years, served as President of the Belmont Shore Residents Association, and was Treasurer for the Bixby Riviera HOA.

John and Nancy loved to travel. They traveled all over the world.

John and Nancy established a “University of South Dakota–Sanford School of Medicine Endowment,” which will provide full tuition and fees for an enrolled student through graduation.

He is survived by his lovely wife, Nancy, and many nieces and nephews.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on February 12, 2026, at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, 5100 Broadway Ave., Long Beach. A reception will follow at the Long Beach Yacht Club. He will be buried at Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, South Dakota.

It is requested that those interested in making a donation consider a donation to the Montrosse-Eilers Endowment Fund at the University of South Dakota–Stanford School of Medicine, 1400 West 22nd Street, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57105, or to a charity of your choice.