John A. Willis
May 05, 1950 - May 16, 2018
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John A. Willis
May 05, 1950 - May 16, 2018
Obituary
Johnny Alba “John” Willis
John entered into the care of our Lord and Savior, when he passed away at his home in Ferndale on May 16th, 2018. He was born in California on May 5th, 1950, to Alba and Helen Willis joining his sister and brother, Sharon and Larry.
John’s family moved to Ferndale in 1954, with the start up of Mobil Oil Refinery. He played Little League Baseball for many years and was very proud of his records held during high school track. John graduated from Ferndale High School in 1968.
John fell in love with the cute young lady who was a checker at the grocery store where he regularly shopped. He married her, Vicky Harmon Scheib, in 1979 and gained a son, Ryan Scheib. Later daughters Andrea and Erin were born.
One of John’s passions was watching his children’s sporting events, along with taking the family on camping trips. He loved being outdoors and spending time with his family. John was always a very dedicated and hard worker. From a young age he started working in the berry fields and continued working for Moore’s Blueberry Farm for a few years. He operated Willy’s Tree Farm and a landscaping business from his home on Dahlberg Road. He proudly retired from Intalco (Alcoa) after working over 40 years, where he started as a pot operator and later became supervisor of the pot lines. After retirement, he and Vicky enjoyed working around their farm and horse arena, where they operated a riding arena and stables on their property. Many people benefited from using their facilities. John was a helper and friend to all.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Al and Helen Willis and his in-laws, Lorene and Gene Harmon. He is survived by his loving wife, Vicky; son, Ryan (April); daughters, Andrea and Erin (Scott); grandchildren, Viviana, Renee, Autumn, and Anthony “Tude”; sister, Sharon (Ron); brother, Larry (Polly); and several nieces, nephews, extended family and long-time friends.
I will forever miss you, my love. You were my staunchest supporter and always there for me, Vicky.
A celebration of life to honor John will be held Sunday, July 15th, at Totem Terrace, Alcoa Intalco Works, Ferndale, WA.
15 responses to John A. Willis
erin willis says:
May 16, 2018
Dad i love you . I wish i could of hug you one more time.And tell you thank you for everything and you are the best dad and papa in my world. Rest easy and twinkle the stars at night so i know that you are alright. Anthony and I will be watching for you so shine real bright .We love you . Miss you more than you can imagine. Love er-bear (erin) and Tude (Anthony) .
Sweet Dreams Dad
Karen (Cornelsen) Walker says:
May 16, 2018
Vicky, I am so sorry for your loss. I have such fond memories of John in High School. A good man, and kind. I understand sudden loss like yours, having lost my first husband suddenly. I will be praying for you and your family as you walk through this sadness.
Karen
Rod Cochran says:
May 16, 2018
So sorry to hear of your loss, I worked with John for many years at Intalco and he was the best Potline operator I ever worked with. He always made the job fun. He will be missed by all of the guys that worked with him over the years.
Elmer Anderson says:
May 16, 2018
I had the honor of working with your father for several years at Intalco. He was a leader who never expected more from him employees than he was willing to give himself. He set excellent examples and showed us newbies how to get the job done right and how to grow by example. Although we were not close once he retired, it was an honor and a privilege to spend Thanksgiving with John and his family. He will be missed by so many…I want to give me sincere condolences to his family.
Cathrine Anderson says:
May 16, 2018
Vicky and Family,
Sincere sympathies to you. John was so special and will be missed so much. I hope you all have many wonderful memories of him.
Sincerely,
Cathi Anderson