John in his youth was a fireman for the Topeka, Kan., fire department. He and Theresa lived in Oak Grove, Ore., where John worked as an engineer. In 1930, they lived in Fresno, Ca., where John was a railroad carpenter. He also was working as a railroad carpenter in Stockton, Ca. The 1940 Census places the family in Petaluma, Ca., where John was a carpenter for the Air Base. In 1942, John’s WWII draft registration card indicates he was a was living in Petaluma, Ca., and was a Quartermaster for the U.S. Army at Hamilton Field, Marin Co., Ca.