Born John Clement Lincoln on Feb. 6, 1925, in Tempe, Arizona, he was raised along with six brothers and sisters in the town of Safford, Arizona.
On his 18th birthday, he traveled to Phoenix and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After completing flight training, John was assigned to the 19th Troop Carrier Squadron where he flew C46 and C47 transport airplanes throughout the South Pacific theater in World War II.
Eventually, he flew supplies and personnel into Tokyo, Japan, two weeks after the surrender in support of American occupation efforts.
After being discharged, John moved to Pasadena, California, where he met Gena Mae Brotherton.
After a 10-day courtship, they were married in Las Vegas on Nov. 11, 1949, and settled in the Los Angeles area.
He worked for the Pasadena Water Department and attended night school where he studied freight traffic management. One of his instructors saw promise in him and referred him to a company named Products Research Corp.
While there he sensed an opportunity for a career change and accepted a traffic management position with Los Angeles Wholesale Institute and California Shipper’s Association, two membership associations that consolidated freight shipments for its member companies. There he rose quickly to the position of CEO.
During his tenure he merged the two freight shipping organizations into LAWI/CSA Consolidators Inc., moved the general offices to Glendale, California, and grew the combined company into one of the largest non-profit shipping companies in the country, employing over 400 people and operating multiple shipping facilities in many western and eastern states.
He served several terms as the president of the National Freight Traffic Association and testified before Congress on matters relevant to rail and truck shipping over the years.
Upon retirement, he and Gena eventually settled in Kelseyville. He went on to work for many years for the county of Lake as its first safety officer, developing safety protocols for the county’s many departments. Over time his efforts resulted in a significant reduction in workers compensation claim costs for the county.
Over their lifetime together, he and Gena owned and flew many airplanes, took up sailing and then motor homing.
John is survived by his three sons: Tom (Ruth) of Lakeport; Braden (Regina) of Valencia; and Todd (Linda) of Reno, Nevada. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
There are no services scheduled. The family asks that any donations in his name be made to a veteran’s organization of choice.
