HAMILTON – John Wasem, 96, of Hamilton, passed away July 7, 2016 at Discovery Care Center in Hamilton. John was born Nov. 15, 1919 in New York to Pierre and Helene Wasem. He attended school in New York City, secretly married Leota Hamlin of Rye, New Hampshire in 1940 and moved to San Diego, California shortly after. He had completed a mechanical engineering correspondence course and was anxious to find work in California. He found employment at Consolidated Aircraft in San Diego. He served in the U.S. Navy for a short time during the war as an aircraft mechanic and earned the American Theatre, Victory and European Theatre medals. He returned to San Diego in 1945 to complete almost 40 years of continual service to now General Dynamics/Convair in Mira Mesa, California as an experimental aircraft engineer, working on such projects as the cruise missile and other covert plane designs that made for wonderful stories in later years. John built his own home for his young family in National City, California not long after they moved there. After Leota passed away in 1966, John’s family welcomed Elaine Luitjens and her boys to the family in 1972. John built another home in Ramona, California where they lived until 1989 when they relocated to the Bitterroot Valley, Corvallis and Hamilton specifically.
John was a gifted woodworker, making many pieces of furniture and other projects. He spent many years as a motorcyclist as well, from dirt bikes in the desert on family trips to touring bikes that allowed for sightseeing vacations with Elaine and son John.
He was a past member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in National City, California and Faith Lutheran Church in Hamilton until he was no longer able to attend.
John is survived by his wife of 44 years, Elaine; son John P. Wasem (Barbara) of Visalia, California; son William Wasem (Sharon) of Escondido, California; daughter Susan Sevier (Rodney) of San Diego, California; stepson Rande Luitjens (Jill) of Hamilton; stepson Louie Luitjens of Florida; his sister Helen Amado of Chatsworth, California; 14 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren with another due on his birthday this year. He is predeceased by his first wife Leota, his stepson David Luitjens and his niece Cathy Amado.
A memorial service will be held at Daly Leach Memorial Chapel on Tuesday, July 12 with a private internment later than day.
