Commander Pappy the Great

John Calvert Foose

Born October 27, 1926 in St. Mary’s Hospital, returned to his Lord December 25, 2005 at 12 noon in St. Mary’s Hospital.

He was preceded in death by his father, A.M. Foose; mother, Ruby Calvert Foose; and wife, Ann Elizabeth Davis Foose who passed away at the age of 39, leaving 6 children. His grateful children honor his commitment, as a single father, to raising them, with extraordinary support from his parents, brothers, and sisters-in law.

A veteran of WWII who served with the U.S. Army, he was on a troop ship with the 1^st Cavalry Division headed for the invasion of Japan, when the atomic bomb was dropped in August 1945, and Japan surrendered. He spent two years in the Army of Occupation in Hokkaido, Japan.

He attended St. Joseph Elementary and Junior High School, graduating from Marshall High School in 1944. He graduated from Marshall College in 1951 with a degree in Chemistry. He was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

He started working for the C&O Railroad in 1953 and retired as Chief Chemist and Head Environmental Officer in 1988.

He was a life-long member of St. Joseph’s Church and a volunteer at the Nazareth House. He was a Boy Scout leader for many years and volunteered at the Veterans Hospital. He was Past Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9738. He was an avid bowler and he loved gardening and photography and was a fine baker.

He is survived by a special friend, Elinor Miller of Bellefonte, Kentucky, a classmate from elementary school. The pleasure they took in their companionship and travels together was a source of joy to them and to their families.

He is further survived by his children, John, Francis, Ann Hannon, Michelle and her husband Vonn Marsch, Matthew and his wife Robin, Karl and his wife Michelle, and grandchildren: John Robert Hannon, Dustin and Shawn Foose, and one special puppy, Zac. He was also “Pappy” to Stephanie and Greg Nethercutt, and their children Cheyenne, Elizabeth, and John.

Brothers and Sisters-in-law: Alphonse Maurice & Evelyn Foose, Columbus, Ohio, Karl & Rosemary Foose, West Palm Beach, Florida, and Francis & Dolores Foose, Huntington, West Virginia.