John Paul Heath, age 90, died Saturday, April 7, 2018, in Fargo, ND.
John was born the son of Ray and Mercy Heath on the family farm in Belden, Ohio, October 3, 1927. He was one of 12 children. As a young man he raised pigeons while attending Belden High School. He graduated and joined the United States Air Force in 1946.
John was first stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. He was honorably discharged from active duty and joined the reserves to recruit in the state of Arizona with an office in Phoenix. He married and had two sons, Ric and Gary. He reenlisted for active duty and was sent to Korea during the Korean War, where he served 12 months. Thereafter, he divorced and was sent to Ent Air Force Base in Colorado Springs in 1956 where he met Mary Grotberg. They soon married and had three children, Brian, Greg, and Karen.
In 1960, John was ordered to Hanscom AFB in Massachusetts until his deployment to Wheelus AFB in Libya in 1963. While stationed there for 18 months, his family returned to North Dakota. John wrote daily letters to Mary during this time, which she still treasures. From there, the family moved to Barksdale AFB in Louisiana until John’s retirement in 1968.
John spent more than 21 years in the service, 20 of those were active duty. He received an Air Force Commendation Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal and multiple other awards and commendations.
Upon retirement, John and his family moved to Valley City, ND. John had an appreciation for Mary’s large family and enjoyed helping tend to the farmland. He started working for Grotberg Electric and worked there for over 20 years. John always loved woodworking, planting flowers and gardening. We all reaped the benefits of his tomato plants and his love of swiss cheese, eating the wheels we all received each year. He was great at fixing almost anything and loved to spend time with his family. He loved his grandchildren, great-grandchildren and was able to meet his first great-great-granddaughter before his passing. He spoiled them with jelly beans, circus peanuts and mini donuts. John was well-known for his remarkable memory and his quick wit, especially with numbers and organization.
John is survived by his wife, Mary, son Ric, Mesa, AZ, son Gary (Sharon), Chandler, AZ, son Brian (Lori), Valley City, ND, son Greg, Lakeside, AZ, daughter Karen (Bobby) Phylow, Payson, AZ, 18 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his 11 siblings. The memorial service for John Heath, 90, Valley City, North Dakota will be 2 pm Friday, April 13, 2018 at the Congregation United Church of Christ, Valley City. He died Saturday, April 7, at Sanford Palliative Care, Fargo, North Dakota.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Oliver-Nathan Funeral Chapel, Valley City. An online guestbook is available at www.oliver-nathanchapel.com