John Robert Botts

John Robert Botts passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 22, 2012 at 90 years, 5 months and 5 days. We rejoice with him to be rejoined with his beloved wife 'Glo' who preceded him in death and whom he missed so much.
John was born February 17, 1922 to Dwight Chellys Botts and Velcia Myrtle (Swafford) Botts in the village of Ludden, ND, the older of two sons born to the couple.
One of John's first memories was of his family's move from the East side to the West side of Ludden, on the other side of the tracks. John rode on a hay wagon pulled by horses that his dad had borrowed from a farmer friend to move their furniture. His new home had 3 acres of yard, garden and pasture. There was a two-car garage, three box elder trees, one elm tree and a large plum orchard. The family enjoyed their property full of trees and John would carry pails of water to the trees.
John's grade school had two floors with one classroom on each floor. Grades 1 through 4 were on the first floor. Grades 5 through 8 on the second. Each of the rooms was heated by a coal-burning pot-bellied stove. On a 20 degree-below-zero day in 1933, an overheated chimney caused the fire that burned young John's school to the ground. He watched the blaze from half a block away, his face too hot and his back freezing cold. The town built a new school which became a central meeting place where voters cast their ballots and farmers paid bounty on gopher tails. Later, John's brass band would hold their practices there.
John enjoyed his early Methodist Sunday-school classes, taught by mothers, including his own mother, in their homes. His family often traveled the ten miles to Oakes, ND for Methodist Church services. From the start, John readily accepted the teachings of Jesus Christ. His family enjoyed revivals held at the Community Hall and hosted visiting missionaries at their home. They were accepting of people of all faiths.
John's dad and Uncle Gail Botts owned Botts Brothers Store in Ludden. This general merchandise store sold everything from meat and groceries to paint, washing machines to coal and car batteries to men's custom made wool suits. John started at about age 11 earning 5 cents a load for hauling in freight from the train station to the store for his dad. Much later he graduated to full store clerk and what was considered good pay, $15 a week. John saved most of his earnings to pay for college.
In midsummer, the village would hold picnics with food, games, races, a dance and watermelon and pie-eating contests. John's favorite part was baseball. One year the men roasted a whole steer in a big barbecue pit.
While very young, John's mother encouraged him to sing. She would play the piano while the whole family sang all the old favorites. Because of her influence, and his respect for her, John sang for entertainment. Later he would journey to neighboring cities, performing with the high school glee club. He learned to dance by dancing with the other kids around the sides of the dance floor at farmer's club dances with his parents.
John loved his 24" Century bike. He got it when he was 8 and learned to ride it the first day. But John's most favorite activity was baseball. Baseball continued to be a great enjoyment throughout his life. His dad had introduced baseball to him. That meant a lot to John. In the beginning, his dad had organized a boys' baseball team and bought shirts for the whole team. He gave John a baseball and mitt and threw with him a lot. John's next favorite sport was ice-skating. In winter he skated on ponds and on the nearby James River. He would skate far up and down the James, usually at breakneck speed. He even made a skate sail to speed him along. One day he skated straight into a hole that had been cut into the ice. It was a cold mile-run home for dry clothes. John also learned to play basketball as a youngster and was later on the Oakes High School basketball team. During spring thaws, there was water everywhere so John built a raft to make use of it. In summer his dad took him fishing. Though they seldom caught many, John sure loved just being with his dad. John earned Star Scout in the Boy Scout program and loved the swimming at camp. His BB-gun gave way to a 20-caliber rifle when he was about 12. It was very good for crows and tin cans. But even with all of his many outdoor activities, John took time to read books and practice his clarinet.
Beginning at age 13, John stayed with friends of his parents in Oakes, ND where there was a school to attend during the week. On weekends he would come the ten miles home to Ludden to his family.
His first year in Oakes he joined the Oakes city band and played in concerts in the park on Sundays all summer long. He even became first chair clarinetist. The band played for all kinds of parades, each time marching several miles.
John attended North Dakota Agricultural College in Fargo, ND. As an extra curricular activity, he joined "Doc Putnam's Gold Star Band", the college's concert band. He enjoyed many dates and dances and was pledged into the Theta Chi Fraternity.
John took time out from NDAC and accepted a job as an airplane mechanic for Lockheed with his college roommate and fellow local band member. They were thrilled to contribute to US military might by constructing P-38 aircraft in southern California.
The attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941 changed their plans. John went home and in 1942 enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. It wasn't long before he was submerged in concentrated college level training in engineering, math, radio and electronics. He entered active military service in 1943 and became a cryptographic technician. He remained under oath to keep secret his knowledge of the Army cypher devices until his death. His first oversea war assignment landed him in New Guinea, where his was among 800 ships at anchor as part of the Leyte invasion fleet. His company built a life for themselves there that even included a dance and dates with WACs from a base 20 miles away and the construction of candlesticks from shell casings that were used by his wife years later. John was happy there and wrote home to his parents every day. The men of the 986th shipped out in June 1945 to Cebu in the Phillipines which had been destroyed by the war. After the Japanese surrender a few months later, John was reassigned to a new battalion and promoted to the rank of Technical Sergeant. He then worked as the code room chief in the message center at the sixth army headquarters in Kyoto, Japan. After receiving orders to return to the US, his ship was coming into Puget Sound when it was greeted and circled by a schooner carrying Ginger Rogers and other Hollywood entertainers. John's huge ship leaned from side to side as the entertainment went around. In all, John earned the Philippine Liberation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Victory Medal, American Theater Service Medal and the Asiatic. Pacific Service Medal. He was honorably discharged February 10, 1946.
John then continued his education at NDAC. He attended the Methodist fellowship where he first met Gloria Bachman. He worked in the college bookstore, became an engineering teaching assistant and played clarinet with the "Joy Boys." In his senior year, Theta Chi elected him as president of his Fraternity and Blue Key Fraternity, an academic honorary society, selected him for membership.
College graduation came in 1948 with a BS in Engineering. He earned the status of Professional Engineer and chose a career as a field engineer in the electrical transmission industry, gaining expertise in design, sales, management and purchasing as his career progressed.
June 9, 1949, in Fargo, John married Gloria G. Bachman, in the Methodist Church that they both loved. In 1961, John and Gloria also chose to be sealed for time and eternity as husband and wife in the Salt Lake City, UT Temple, having embraced the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the year before, after serious investigation. This new Church association prompted a major accomplishment of John's life through his natural interest in family history research. Decades of his research done here a little and there a little at libraries he visited while out of town for work, yielded thousands of names to add to his family tree.
John and Gloria raised 9 children, living in Bismarck, North Dakota; Green Bay and Madison, Wisconsin; Minneapolis and Wayzata, Minnesota; Greenville, South Carolina and American Fork and Orem, UT. John also lived in Provo, UT. All of John's children survive him: Steve Botts (Heidi) of Pleasant Hill, CA; Barbara Botts of Orem, UT; Jean Nelson (Bradley) of St. George, UT; Linda Keeler of Crockett, CA; John Botts of San Francisco, CA; Rebecca Killian of American Fork, UT; Wendilyn Stevenson (John) of Provo, UT; Tyler Botts of Philadelphia, PA and Beth Norton (Bradley) of Yorba Linda, CA. John is also survived by his only sibling, Jack Botts of Lincoln, NE; 26 grandchildren: [Steve] Colin Botts (Heather), Nathan Botts (Anna), Trevor Botts (Mandy) and Megan Hamzawi (Jordan) of Provo, UT; [Jean] Sara Cotton Staker (Matt), Natalie Sudweeks (Travis), Kristi Nelson, Rhett Nelson, Drew Nelson, Joseph Nelson, Ian Nelson and Elisabeth Nelson; [Linda] Maria Botts, [Rebecca] Ashley Keiner, Ashley Killian, Parker Killian and Trevor Killian; [Wendilyn] Lindsey Stevenson, Cameron Stevenson, Jessica Stevenson, Tyler Stevenson, Nathan Stevenson and Kimberly Stevenson; [Beth] Josh Norton, Jake Norton, and Luke Norton; and 8 great grandchildren: [Colin] Liesl Botts and Penelope Botts; [Trevor] Elijah Botts; [Sara] Kaden Staker, Trevan Staker, Daynen Staker and Bronson Staker; and [Ashley] Jocelyn Keiner.
All are invited to attend a graveside service for John on Friday (not Saturday as at first announced), July 27, 2012 at 2 pm at the American Fork Cemetery located at 600 N. 100 E. American Fork, Utah.
The family thanks those whose attentive and compassionate service made John's last days more enjoyable for him and his last services more enjoyable for us, including, but not limited to volunteers, members or employees of Beehive Home of Orem, Cove Point Manor, Summerfield Manor, American Fork Hospital, Orem Rehab., Curo Hospice, SereniCare Funeral Home, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Orem Community Church, Dollar Cuts and BYU Adopt-a-Grandfather program. May God bless you all.