Obituary of John Owen York

John Owen York Long-time resident of Waconia, John York, died on Sept. 8, 2015 at the age of 89 at the Marie Steiner Kelting Hospice Home. Jack was born on January 11, 1926 in Tacoma, Washington, but spent most of his life in Waconia, Minnesota. In 1945 he flew 27 missions in B-17's with the 401st Bomb Group out of the base in Deenthorpe, England. 401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=2554 Following WWII, Jack married Carol Maiser on August 23, 1947 at St. Joseph's Church in Waconia. They lived briefly in Bismarck, ND but moved to Minneapolis and eventually to Waconia in 1950, where Jack worked with his father-in-law, Al Maiser, at the Waconia Milling Company. Jack was a clever guy who could fix or figure out anything mechanical, and he built his house in Waconia in 1954 his way, with his own hands. As Scoutmaster of Waconia Boy Scout Troop # 327 Jack led the troop to win the coveted "Camp-a-Tonka" award as the best troop in the district for the spring campout in 1961. Jack was an early member of the Waconia Flying Club and enjoyed many cross-country flights as well as being the pilot of the first (and only) Nickle-Dickle Day Ping-Pong Ball Drop in 1961. He was a member of St. Joseph’s Knights of Columbus, the VFW and American Legion. In 1965 Jack began working for Graco, and in the 1970’s he was Graco’s European trouble-shooter based in Paris. He retired from Graco in 1985. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Carol (Maiser) York, parents, Rosella Lahoskey and Curtis York, and 2 brothers, Charles and James Richard (Dick). Jack will be missed by his son, Steve (Mary), 2 grandchildren, Jonathan (Milena da Silva) York, and Katherine (Patrick) Duffy, and 3 great-grandchildren, Fidelis York, William Duffy, Keira Duffy, and many other relatives and friends. Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 41 East First Street, Waconia MN 55387 on Thursday, September 24th at 11:00 am There will be gathering of family and friends in the church narthex at 10:00. His Final Resting Place will be at St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery, Waconia. http://stjosephwaconia.org/ In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Marie Steiner Kelting Hospice Home, Ridgeview Medical Foundation, Waconia. www.ridgeviewmedical.org/donate-now