John Goodwin Thulin was born on October 13, 1940 and passed away on November 24, 2021.  We are blessed that his niece, Carrie, had perused his computer and found the many messages that we had sent to him from this Class Website.  She made contact with us on April 2, 2022, and reported the following information about John.

John Goodwin Thulin, beloved husband, son, brother, uncle, friend and colleague, peacefully passed away on the evening of November 24, 2021, in La Mesa, California. He was 81 years old.

John was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on October 13, 1940, to Earl and Evelyn Thulin. Growing up in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, he was the oldest of his three brothers, James (Jim), Danny, and Peter.

Upon graduating from St. Louis Park High School, John enlisted in the United States Navy in 1958. During his 20 years of service, John was notably stationed aboard the USS Siruis, USS Goldsborough, USS Higbee, USS Cook, and USS Gray. He rose to the rank of Chief Petty Officer while accruing numerous awards for his conduct and service during his time in Vietnam.

While on deployment in Japan in 1963, John met Tomiko. Though they wouldn’t see each other again until 1973, the two exchanged letters that traveled back and forth across the Pacific for an entire decade. They got married in 1974 and moved to San Diego where they built a life together full of love, family, and friends.

He shared some of his fondest memories traveling the world with Tomiko, his brothers, and the rest of his extensive family. John enjoyed beer, billiards, golfing, grilling, and most of all sharing stories and laughter over meals with his beloved family. He was a man with an infectious laugh and a smile that could light up the darkest of rooms. John served as a mentor to many around him and his wisdom, kindness, and distinctive personality will be greatly missed.

John is survived by his wife Tomiko, brother Peter (Jodi) and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, cousins and beloved friends and colleagues.

He is preceded in death by his brothers Daniel and James and parents Earl and Evelyn Thulin.

Viewing and Funeral services were held at 9:30am on Thursday, January 6, 2022, at the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, 1700 Cabrillo Memorial Dr, San Diego, CA 92106.