John died January 21, 2010, at his Port Orchard, Washington, home. He was born on April 29, 1929, in Hamilton, Montana.

He jumped at Missoula in 1949-50 before serving in the U.S. Army in the Korean Conflict. John jumped again in 1954. He worked for the Civil Service in Guan, Alaska, and Washington, as a high-climber electrician.