John “Bill” was raised in Riverbank. He had a distinguished career in the Navy serving on a number of submarines, including the nuclear-powered USS Ethan Allen, which carried nuclear missiles. Bill was a sonar operator and finished his career as an instructor at the Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare School in San Diego. He then worked at the Hershey plant in Oakdale as the electrical supervisor for 21 years and retired at age 59.