[Nfbk] Passing of Greg Gatton's Father

[Terrie Terlau]

Hello Tonia,

I send my prayers and sympathy. I am sorry for your loss. Your husband's
father lived an incredibly wonderful life.

Sincerely,

Terrie Terlau

 

 

From: NFBK [mailto:nfbk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Gatton, Tonia
(OFB-LV) via NFBK
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2016 2:22 PM
Cc: Gatton, Tonia (OFB-LV)
Subject: [Nfbk] Passing of Greg Gatton's Father

 

Greg's Dad passed away earlier this week.  Since many of you have been
asking for info on the arrangements and I thought others might want to know,
I've pasted his obituary below.

 

Blessings,

 

Tonia

 

John L. Gatton Jr.

  Obituary 

Gatton, John L., Jr.,

 

93, of Louisville, crossed the bar on his final voyage home, Wednesday,
October 26, 2016.

 

John grew up in Highland Park, joined the Christian Church in his early
teens, attended James Russell Lowell School, Southern Junior High, and two
years

at Louisville Male, where he received his GED after the war. At the age of
sixteen, he soloed at the old Bowman Field and was known for his aerial
stunts-landing

on the fairway at a local golf course, loops and hammerhead stalls above the
park across from his home, and even flying under the Clark Memorial Bridge,

which earned a severe reprimand. 

 

Eager to enter the war effort, he ran away to Canada and enlisted in the
Royal Canadian Air Force, but was discharged when his age was determined,
and

told in letter by the Prime Minister to come back when he was eighteen. In
January, 1941, prior to the U.S. entry into the war, he tried to enlist in
the

Navy, but was informed they had their quota. Hearing that the Coast Guard
needed recruits, John caught a train to St. Louis and enlisted, returning to

Louisville only long enough to marry his sweetheart, Margaret Edith Mann.
Upon completing boot camp in New Orleans, he was assigned to the U. S. Coast

Guard Cutter Larkspur. He also saw duty at the USCG Air Station in Biloxi,
MS and aboard the cutter USS Buttonwood. After the attack on Pearl Harbor,
the

Coast Guard became part of the Navy, and he was sent to Orange, Texas, to
commission a new amphibious craft, LCI #96, part of Flotillas 4 and 10,
which

made landings in North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, and on D-Day at Omaha Beach,
where four ships were lost. John received the USCG Unit Commendation, the

American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European
African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 4 Stars, and the Asiatic Pacific
Campaign

Medal. He proudly served from 1941 until 1947 and achieved the rank of Chief
Quartermaster.

 

After the war, John returned to Louisville where he worked for a brief while
in the foundry at International Harvester. He then became a Jefferson County

Police Officer. That was followed by a two-year period of service as a
Correctional Officer with the Federal Penitentiary at Terre Haute, IN.,
where he

attended classes at Indiana State. He again returned to Louisville in 1953
to become one of the first Plant Security Guards hired at the new Appliance

Park and rose through the ranks to become Captain of the force. After
turning down an opportunity to supervise all security operations for General
Electric

in New York, he became Safety Engineer, retiring for a brief time in 1986.
He was re-hired at General Electric as a Consultant for the
Safety-Compensation

Administration Sales and Service Operation and Manager of Safety for the CEM
Group, retiring for a second time after 37 years with the company. Never one

to sit still, he joined the Cardinal Industrial Insulation family as Safety
Coordinator and Quality Control Officer, and remained there until his third

retirement, choosing to stay at home in order to care for his wife.

 

John was a former member of the Fairview Christian Church and member of the
Fern Creek Christian Church. He was a Plank Owner of the LCI National
Association

and the USCG William Trump; a Kentucky Colonel; a Mason; a member of the
American Legion, the American Society of Safety Engineers, and the Kentucky
Fire

School. And, he was a life-long University of Louisville Cardinal fan. 

 

He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Margaret Edith; a son,
Phillip Lee; parents, John L., Sr. and Annie; and brothers, Owen, Jesse,
Freddy,

Eddie, Howard, William, and Calvin.

 

He is survived by three sons, Reverend Doctor Michael of Louisville, Tim
(Jackye) of Danville, KY., and Greg (Tonya) of Louisville; three
grandchildren,

Melanye Vernon, Michael Gatton, and Tommy Gatton, all of Danville, KY.; and
four great grandchildren, Taylor, Landon, and Laykin Gatton and Matthew
Vernon;

a host of nieces and nephews; and his special friend Dody Bandy.

 

A service celebrating his life will be held at noon on Tuesday, November 1,
at Fern Creek Funeral Home, 5604 Bardstown Road, with burial including full

military honors to follow in Resthaven Memorial Park. Family and friends may
call at the funeral home from noon until 8 p.m. on Monday, October 31.

 

Expressions of sympathy may be made to Fern Creek Christian Church
designated for its outreach ministry to Fern Creek High School or to the 

charity of the donor's choice.

Published in The Courier-Journal from Oct. 29 to Oct. 31, 2016

 

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/louisville/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory
<http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/louisville/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pi
d=182189069> &pid=182189069

 

  

 

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