John Edward LE GROS Sr.

1923 - 2016

LE GROS, Sr., John Edward Passed away at the age of 92 on February 1st, 2016 at his home in Sonoma, California. He is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Beth; son Tom Le Gros (his wife Karen) of Visalia, California; son Richard Le Gros (his wife Kelley) of Los Osos, California; daughter Clare Gordon, (her husband Robert) and grandson Ross Gordon of San Francisco, California; and great granddaughter Nevaeh Le Gros of West Mansfield, Ohio. He was preceded in death by son John Le Gros Jr. and grandson Ryan Le Gros. John was born in Oak Park, Illinois on March 21st, 1923. In his youth, he developed the strong work ethic, moral foundation and character which would serve him and all who knew him throughout his life. By the age of 17, he had achieved the rank of Eagle Scout with The Boy Scouts of America, placed second in the Illinois State Boys' Tennis Championship (Doubles category) and was voted both Senior Class President and "Big Man on Campus" by fellow classmates at River Forest Township High School in Oak Park. John's scholastic performance led to his admission at Yale University in 1940. To serve his country during World War II, he enlisted with the U.S. Navy in 1943 and was placed in an officer training program while he finished his studies at Yale. The training required additional instruction at M.I.T. and Harvard University. After graduating from Yale in 1944 with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Chemical Engineering, John served aboard the submarine USS Barbero at Subic Bay in the Phillipines where he was stationed for the duration of the war. John and Beth were married in Pasadena, California on April 18th, 1947. In 1948, John began a long career at Shell Chemical Corporation, living in many parts of the U.S. and traveling around the world in the performance of his business responsibilities. In 1965, John went on to pursue other business interests before moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1980 as President of American Filtrona Corporation. In 1995 he retired, moving to San Francisco, California. Shortly thereafter, he volunteered with the International Executive Service Corps, a non-profit organization founded by David Rockefeller, assisting the economic development of former Communist countries. John and Beth lived in the Ukraine and Macedonia for extended periods of time. In 1999 John and Beth moved to Sonoma, California. They continued their travels around the world. John lived an admirable, full and worthy life. He was greatly loved and respected by his family and his many friends. He will be sorely missed. A private memorial service will be held later this year.