Was an airline pilot for Pan Am from 1940 - 1973.
John D. Steers, Flew in historic WWII flight
John D. Steers, who participated in the first around-the-world commercial flight, died at his home in Los Altos Hills Dec. 30 after a period of failing health. He was 81.
Mr. Steers was born in Rohnerville Jan 13, 1913. He moved to Palo Alto in his youth. He attended Mayfield School, Palo Alto High School, Menlo College and Stanford
University. Throughout school, Mr. Steers was a gifted athlete, lettering in football, baseball and track. He married Mary Frances Green, a lifelong Palo Altan, and they both learned to fly in 1939-40.
He joined Pan American Airline in 1940, and was a flight officer on Pan American's Boeing 314, the large seaplane that was stranded in the South Pacific when Pearl Harbor was bombed in December 1941.
Unable to return to San Francisco, the crew, under the command of Capt. Robert Ford, hand-painted the American flag on the aircraft and pushed westward. They landed in New York six weeks later, to huge media attention, their journey marking the first commercial around-the-world flight.
Through his career, Mr. Steers flew more than 30,000 hours and retired from flying B-747s in 1973.
A builder-engineer in his spare time, he hand-built boats, an airplane and a number of sports cars with innovative features which he raced in the late 1950s.
Mr. Steers is survived by his wife, Mary Green Steers; his sister, Alice Wentworth of Redwood City, his brother, a former world record-holder in the high jump, Lester Steers of Tigard, Ore., and Samuel Steers of Eureka.
He is also survived by his four sons who all attended Palo Alto schools. They are: John Toby steers, who died in 1991; Steven Terry Steers, who lives in Lake Forest, Ill.; Roger Timothy Steers of Fairfield; and Arnold Thomas Steers of Watsonville. Mr. Steers also leaves behind four grandchildren.
John D. Steers, Flew in historic WWII flight
John D. Steers, who participated in the first around-the-world commercial flight, died at his home in Los Altos Hills Dec. 30 after a period of failing health. He was 81.
Mr. Steers was born in Rohnerville Jan 13, 1913. He moved to Palo Alto in his youth. He attended Mayfield School, Palo Alto High School, Menlo College and Stanford
University. Throughout school, Mr. Steers was a gifted athlete, lettering in football, baseball and track. He married Mary Frances Green, a lifelong Palo Altan, and they both learned to fly in 1939-40.
He joined Pan American Airline in 1940, and was a flight officer on Pan American's Boeing 314, the large seaplane that was stranded in the South Pacific when Pearl Harbor was bombed in December 1941.
Unable to return to San Francisco, the crew, under the command of Capt. Robert Ford, hand-painted the American flag on the aircraft and pushed westward. They landed in New York six weeks later, to huge media attention, their journey marking the first commercial around-the-world flight.
Through his career, Mr. Steers flew more than 30,000 hours and retired from flying B-747s in 1973.
A builder-engineer in his spare time, he hand-built boats, an airplane and a number of sports cars with innovative features which he raced in the late 1950s.
Mr. Steers is survived by his wife, Mary Green Steers; his sister, Alice Wentworth of Redwood City, his brother, a former world record-holder in the high jump, Lester Steers of Tigard, Ore., and Samuel Steers of Eureka.
He is also survived by his four sons who all attended Palo Alto schools. They are: John Toby steers, who died in 1991; Steven Terry Steers, who lives in Lake Forest, Ill.; Roger Timothy Steers of Fairfield; and Arnold Thomas Steers of Watsonville. Mr. Steers also leaves behind four grandchildren.
Was an airline pilot for Pan Am from 1940 - 1973.
John D. Steers, Flew in historic WWII flight
John D. Steers, who participated in the first around-the-world commercial flight, died at his home in Los Altos Hills Dec. 30 after a period of failing health. He was 81.
Mr. Steers was born in Rohnerville Jan 13, 1913. He moved to Palo Alto in his youth. He attended Mayfield School, Palo Alto High School, Menlo College and Stanford
University. Throughout school, Mr. Steers was a gifted athlete, lettering in football, baseball and track. He married Mary Frances Green, a lifelong Palo Altan, and they both learned to fly in 1939-40.
He joined Pan American Airline in 1940, and was a flight officer on Pan American's Boeing 314, the large seaplane that was stranded in the South Pacific when Pearl Harbor was bombed in December 1941.
Unable to return to San Francisco, the crew, under the command of Capt. Robert Ford, hand-painted the American flag on the aircraft and pushed westward. They landed in New York six weeks later, to huge media attention, their journey marking the first commercial around-the-world flight.
Through his career, Mr. Steers flew more than 30,000 hours and retired from flying B-747s in 1973.
A builder-engineer in his spare time, he hand-built boats, an airplane and a number of sports cars with innovative features which he raced in the late 1950s.
Mr. Steers is survived by his wife, Mary Green Steers; his sister, Alice Wentworth of Redwood City, his brother, a former world record-holder in the high jump, Lester Steers of Tigard, Ore., and Samuel Steers of Eureka.
He is also survived by his four sons who all attended Palo Alto schools. They are: John Toby steers, who died in 1991; Steven Terry Steers, who lives in Lake Forest, Ill.; Roger Timothy Steers of Fairfield; and Arnold Thomas Steers of Watsonville. Mr. Steers also leaves behind four grandchildren.
John D. Steers, Flew in historic WWII flight
John D. Steers, who participated in the first around-the-world commercial flight, died at his home in Los Altos Hills Dec. 30 after a period of failing health. He was 81.
Mr. Steers was born in Rohnerville Jan 13, 1913. He moved to Palo Alto in his youth. He attended Mayfield School, Palo Alto High School, Menlo College and Stanford
University. Throughout school, Mr. Steers was a gifted athlete, lettering in football, baseball and track. He married Mary Frances Green, a lifelong Palo Altan, and they both learned to fly in 1939-40.
He joined Pan American Airline in 1940, and was a flight officer on Pan American's Boeing 314, the large seaplane that was stranded in the South Pacific when Pearl Harbor was bombed in December 1941.
Unable to return to San Francisco, the crew, under the command of Capt. Robert Ford, hand-painted the American flag on the aircraft and pushed westward. They landed in New York six weeks later, to huge media attention, their journey marking the first commercial around-the-world flight.
Through his career, Mr. Steers flew more than 30,000 hours and retired from flying B-747s in 1973.
A builder-engineer in his spare time, he hand-built boats, an airplane and a number of sports cars with innovative features which he raced in the late 1950s.
Mr. Steers is survived by his wife, Mary Green Steers; his sister, Alice Wentworth of Redwood City, his brother, a former world record-holder in the high jump, Lester Steers of Tigard, Ore., and Samuel Steers of Eureka.
He is also survived by his four sons who all attended Palo Alto schools. They are: John Toby steers, who died in 1991; Steven Terry Steers, who lives in Lake Forest, Ill.; Roger Timothy Steers of Fairfield; and Arnold Thomas Steers of Watsonville. Mr. Steers also leaves behind four grandchildren.
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