 |
Uncle Johnny was my favorite uncle. I don’t have a ton of
memories of him—partly because I was so young when we lived near him, and
partly because we didn’t spend much time around Mom’s side of the family in
later years. But every memory I do have of him makes me smile.
He was such a goofball—always cracking jokes, laughing, or
doing something silly just to make everyone else laugh. He was that kind of
person who could light up a room with his humor.
My fondest memory of him is from the summers we spent at Grandma and Grandpa Spaid’s house in Azusa. He worked a late shift and wouldn’t get home until after 10 p.m., but my sister Melanie and I would always stay up waiting for him. As soon as we heard his car pull up, we’d race into the living room—he slept on the pull-out sofa when we were there—and jump on his bed to wait for him.
Without fail, he’d come in carrying a bag from In-N-Out
Burger. We’d sit cross-legged on the bed, sharing his dinner and watching The
Three Stooges—his favorite. He could impersonate them perfectly, and before
long we’d be in tears from laughing so hard.
Most of my other memories of him are with my mom. The two of
them together were pure chaos—in the best way. They’d get each other going,
laughing nonstop, and you couldn’t help but join in.
When mom was dying, he and his family were there to support and say their goodbyes. Even in a sad time, he tried to lighten the mood. I was in Mom's room with him as he was retelling her stories of their childhood. And apologizing to her for all the "grief" he caused as a little brother.
He struggled later in life. After he retired, I think he just got lost and had demons he was dealing with. He and my aunt split and he just seemed really unhappy. He'll be missed regardless.
Here's his obituary my Aunt posted.
Johnny Gordon Spaid, Born November 28, 1952, to Louise M.
Spaid and Ward. A Spaid in Grants Pass Oregon. His older sister, JoEllen Spaid,
also welcomed the new arrival. They did not stay in Oregon for very long,
around 6 years or so, because Johnny was allergic to the saw dust from the
lumber mills.
Ward, Louise, JoEllen and Johnny headed down south to Azusa
California. He was surrounded mostly by his Mother's family the Emery's. His
childhood was filled with sports, music, laughter and friendships. Johnny
attended local schools graduating from Gladstone High School in 1970.
The Vietnam War was in full scale and Johnny decided to
voluntarily enlist into the United States Air Force in December of 1970. He was
headed to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. After completing basic training he
was assigned to a unit of the Strategic Air Command at Seymour Johnson Air
force Base in North Carolina. From there, Johnny was headed to Hahn Air Force
Base in Germany. Boy did he love Germany!!!
One year, while stationed at Hahn, he picked grapes at a
local vineyard. He saved a bottle of wine, from that vineyard, for a special
occasion, we opened it on our honeymoon. He traveled, while in the service, to
Morocco and Greece, picking up a few mementos. He and I talked about returning
to Germany, Morocco and Greece while looking at pictures and slides of his
adventures.
He was released from active duty on August 19, 1975. While
attending Citrus College, he and I met in September of 1976 in an Economics
class. We began dating in December of 1976, were engaged by March of 1977 and
were married on August 27, 1977.
The next four years we dedicated ourselves to each other and
getting acquainted, lots of fun and hard work setting up our home and
continuing our education. Our first child, Steven Emery Spaid was born on
October 27, 1981, followed by Taryn Brittany Spaid, born November 15, 1984 and
last, but not least, Michael Justin Spaid, born April 1, 1987.
John worked for Monrovia Nursery for approximately 4 years
as one of their Sales Representatives. He even met Gregory Peck while working
at Monrovia Nursery, it was special.
We purchased our first home, a townhouse, in San Dimas. This
is where we started our little family. We lived in San Dimas 3 years and
purchased our first home in Glendora. The family continued to grow, we both
changed jobs and ended up working for Kaiser Permanente. He worked as a
Radiology Clerk until he retired at age 65.
We were married for 42 years, raised three beautiful
children. Johnny began to decline rapidly and we eventually lost him on October
11, 2025. We will miss him dearly, but have very fond memories which can never
be taken away. Rest in Peace my Love.
