Published in Arizona Daily Star (September 7, 2014):
John W. Waters went home to be with the Lord and to his beloved Delma on August 30, 2014, at the age of 90.
Born in Helena, OK, on December 10, 1923, to Ethel and Daniel Waters.
Survived by his daughters, Teresa and Mary Beth; three grandchildren, Felicia (Johnny), Amanda, and Devin; and two great-grandchildren, Rylie and Soren.
John served his country in the US Army Air Corps as a B-17 Fortress waist gunner in World War II.
He worked for the US Forest Service for 30 years. He was the ranger for the Catalina Mountains in Tucson, AZ, for ten years.
After retiring in Prescott, AZ, he volunteered for Meals on Wheels for 22 years and was a founding member and sang in the choir for Prescott Community Church. He helped the Community Food Bank for many years as well.
Besides his family and friends, his loves were fishing, camping, hunting, singing, and playing tennis.
John was married to Delma, his late wife, for 67 years. A loving, caring husband and father and all-around good man, his family feels a great loss, and he will be missed more than words can express.
Along with his giving nature, he was a donor to Science Care.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN ASIDE: During WWII, John Waters was a B-17 aircrew member with my brother, Eugene Oxford. Beginning in 2007, I initiated a search for the crew members with whom my brother served. I was elated to find John as one of the three still living.
Over the next few years, we conversed by phone and through the mail. In 2009, he sent me a large packet containing photocopies of crew members and their bombing mission stats. John also sent me his personal log of each bombing mission. He shared with me stories of his flights, the boring, numbing cold and a number of comical occurrences. More important, he shared with me the rigorous attention and adrenalin highs over target, and the exhaustion after a bombing run.
I cherished our talks and the trove of photocopied information, which includes a copy of the U.S. Army Air Force General Order that presented him the Distinguished Flying Cross on 24 July 1944. He was truly a kind, generous and brave man. He was my friend.
FINI: Thank you to Find A Grave Contributor, Bill Bates, for relinquishing this memorial to my care.
John W. Waters went home to be with the Lord and to his beloved Delma on August 30, 2014, at the age of 90.
Born in Helena, OK, on December 10, 1923, to Ethel and Daniel Waters.
Survived by his daughters, Teresa and Mary Beth; three grandchildren, Felicia (Johnny), Amanda, and Devin; and two great-grandchildren, Rylie and Soren.
John served his country in the US Army Air Corps as a B-17 Fortress waist gunner in World War II.
He worked for the US Forest Service for 30 years. He was the ranger for the Catalina Mountains in Tucson, AZ, for ten years.
After retiring in Prescott, AZ, he volunteered for Meals on Wheels for 22 years and was a founding member and sang in the choir for Prescott Community Church. He helped the Community Food Bank for many years as well.
Besides his family and friends, his loves were fishing, camping, hunting, singing, and playing tennis.
John was married to Delma, his late wife, for 67 years. A loving, caring husband and father and all-around good man, his family feels a great loss, and he will be missed more than words can express.
Along with his giving nature, he was a donor to Science Care.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN ASIDE: During WWII, John Waters was a B-17 aircrew member with my brother, Eugene Oxford. Beginning in 2007, I initiated a search for the crew members with whom my brother served. I was elated to find John as one of the three still living.
Over the next few years, we conversed by phone and through the mail. In 2009, he sent me a large packet containing photocopies of crew members and their bombing mission stats. John also sent me his personal log of each bombing mission. He shared with me stories of his flights, the boring, numbing cold and a number of comical occurrences. More important, he shared with me the rigorous attention and adrenalin highs over target, and the exhaustion after a bombing run.
I cherished our talks and the trove of photocopied information, which includes a copy of the U.S. Army Air Force General Order that presented him the Distinguished Flying Cross on 24 July 1944. He was truly a kind, generous and brave man. He was my friend.
FINI: Thank you to Find A Grave Contributor, Bill Bates, for relinquishing this memorial to my care.
Published in Arizona Daily Star (September 7, 2014):
John W. Waters went home to be with the Lord and to his beloved Delma on August 30, 2014, at the age of 90.
Born in Helena, OK, on December 10, 1923, to Ethel and Daniel Waters.
Survived by his daughters, Teresa and Mary Beth; three grandchildren, Felicia (Johnny), Amanda, and Devin; and two great-grandchildren, Rylie and Soren.
John served his country in the US Army Air Corps as a B-17 Fortress waist gunner in World War II.
He worked for the US Forest Service for 30 years. He was the ranger for the Catalina Mountains in Tucson, AZ, for ten years.
After retiring in Prescott, AZ, he volunteered for Meals on Wheels for 22 years and was a founding member and sang in the choir for Prescott Community Church. He helped the Community Food Bank for many years as well.
Besides his family and friends, his loves were fishing, camping, hunting, singing, and playing tennis.
John was married to Delma, his late wife, for 67 years. A loving, caring husband and father and all-around good man, his family feels a great loss, and he will be missed more than words can express.
Along with his giving nature, he was a donor to Science Care.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN ASIDE: During WWII, John Waters was a B-17 aircrew member with my brother, Eugene Oxford. Beginning in 2007, I initiated a search for the crew members with whom my brother served. I was elated to find John as one of the three still living.
Over the next few years, we conversed by phone and through the mail. In 2009, he sent me a large packet containing photocopies of crew members and their bombing mission stats. John also sent me his personal log of each bombing mission. He shared with me stories of his flights, the boring, numbing cold and a number of comical occurrences. More important, he shared with me the rigorous attention and adrenalin highs over target, and the exhaustion after a bombing run.
I cherished our talks and the trove of photocopied information, which includes a copy of the U.S. Army Air Force General Order that presented him the Distinguished Flying Cross on 24 July 1944. He was truly a kind, generous and brave man. He was my friend.
FINI: Thank you to Find A Grave Contributor, Bill Bates, for relinquishing this memorial to my care.
John W. Waters went home to be with the Lord and to his beloved Delma on August 30, 2014, at the age of 90.
Born in Helena, OK, on December 10, 1923, to Ethel and Daniel Waters.
Survived by his daughters, Teresa and Mary Beth; three grandchildren, Felicia (Johnny), Amanda, and Devin; and two great-grandchildren, Rylie and Soren.
John served his country in the US Army Air Corps as a B-17 Fortress waist gunner in World War II.
He worked for the US Forest Service for 30 years. He was the ranger for the Catalina Mountains in Tucson, AZ, for ten years.
After retiring in Prescott, AZ, he volunteered for Meals on Wheels for 22 years and was a founding member and sang in the choir for Prescott Community Church. He helped the Community Food Bank for many years as well.
Besides his family and friends, his loves were fishing, camping, hunting, singing, and playing tennis.
John was married to Delma, his late wife, for 67 years. A loving, caring husband and father and all-around good man, his family feels a great loss, and he will be missed more than words can express.
Along with his giving nature, he was a donor to Science Care.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN ASIDE: During WWII, John Waters was a B-17 aircrew member with my brother, Eugene Oxford. Beginning in 2007, I initiated a search for the crew members with whom my brother served. I was elated to find John as one of the three still living.
Over the next few years, we conversed by phone and through the mail. In 2009, he sent me a large packet containing photocopies of crew members and their bombing mission stats. John also sent me his personal log of each bombing mission. He shared with me stories of his flights, the boring, numbing cold and a number of comical occurrences. More important, he shared with me the rigorous attention and adrenalin highs over target, and the exhaustion after a bombing run.
I cherished our talks and the trove of photocopied information, which includes a copy of the U.S. Army Air Force General Order that presented him the Distinguished Flying Cross on 24 July 1944. He was truly a kind, generous and brave man. He was my friend.
FINI: Thank you to Find A Grave Contributor, Bill Bates, for relinquishing this memorial to my care.
