John S Satterthwaite Jr

John S. Satterthwaite, Jr.  September 30, 1946 – August 1, 2019

                Just shy of his 73rd birthday, John passed away after his courageous battle with pancreatic cancer, in Spokane, WA.   In true John fashion, he fought until the very end, never losing hope he would be cured to see decades ahead.  Among only three percent of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer to live five years, this was a testament to John’s personality.  When John set his mind to something, from flying to financial planning to fighting cancer, John put his heart and soul into every second of it.  Born in Neptune, NJ, John was the only son of Elizabeth E. (Reed) and John S. Sr. He is survived by his sister, Linda Callaert, husband, Joe, and two nieces, Kimberly and Kristine, of Freehold, NJ.  He grew up in Tennent, NJ on the property of his family’s business, Reed & Perrine.  John spent his summers working for his father at the chemical fertilizer manufacturing facility.  John graduated with honors from a private boarding school, The Peddie School, in 1964.  He went on to spend four years at Brown University, graduating in 1968, with a degree in Philosophy.  Decades later, John earned two master’s degrees from Webster University.  After graduating from Brown, John considered joining the military, and the USAF was looking for pilots.  John found his life-long passion, flying!  Starting at Lackland AFB (TX), John went through Officer Training School in 1968.  Soon after, John attended pilot training at Randolph AFB (TX) and graduated at the top of his class (70-06) in 1970.  As a top pilot, John’s first assignment was to train other pilots.  His first career move took him to Vance AFB (OK) were he flew and instructed in the T-38 supersonic jet trainer.  He had the privilege of training those that flew in Vietnam.  Following this assignment, he was sent to George AFB (CA) to serve as a Security Forces Officer that specialized in air base defense.  While there he also led the base drill team.  Challenging him further, John found himself at Dover AFB (DE) flying the C-5 Galaxy, at the time, the largest cargo airplane in the world.  He quickly rose to be a top instructor pilot and selected to deliver the first C-5B model to Dover AFB (DE).  As with many military families, staying in one spot lasts about two years.  In 1981, John and his family moved overseas to Ankara, Turkey to serve on the JUSMAT staff at Balgot AFB.  He flew the C-12, traveled the sites in Turkey, Greece, & Germany, and survived the “Blizzard of 1983” while snow skiing with his family on Mt. Olympus.  In 1983, after returning to the United States, Randolph AFB (TX), John returned to the T-38 and instructing once more.  While at Randolph, he had the honor of retraining released Vietnam POW’s returning to active duty.  Dover AFB (DE) called John back for his last tour in the C-5.  The final chapter of his military career lead him to Scott AFB (IL) were he served as Commander HQ Section Air Mobility Command, then Commandant for the Airlift Operations School, and finally as Deputy Branch Chief AMC Acquisitions for the C-17.  He retired in 1993 from the United States Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel after twenty-five years of service.  Some would have retired happily among the corn fields of IL, but John had another whole career ahead of him.  Turning toward the financial world, John moved to Spokane, WA to pursue his second passion: helping others find their financial success and freedom.  UPSA & IRA (now First Command) is where he started his career, but within a few years John moved to Washington Trust Bank Investment Services in 1999.  After starting out in the Branch territory on the South Hill, he spent nearly fifteen years building his business and portfolio opening over a thousand new accounts.  His clients became his friends.  He cared about their money as much as his own.  For twelve consecutive years, John was in the President’s Club with Cetera Investment Services, which represents the top five percent of Cetera’s Producers.  He was among the top ten of Cetera Producers for nine consecutive years.  He retired from WA Trust as a Vice President in 2014.  John spent his free time as a skydiving pilot for Skydive West Plains in the tri-state area.  In 2010 John had a role reversal and decided to “jump out of a perfectly good airplane” on purpose.  This was an experience of a lifetime shared with many of his closest friends.  Other hobbies included antique furniture restoration, a skill passed down from his father, devouring books of all types, and meticulously caring for his automobiles.  No one keeps a clean vehicle like John.   Throughout his two careers, world travels, and lives touched, none were more important to him than his family.  He would always bring back something from his worldly travels for his kids, along with a good story.  Later, traveling with his children and grandchildren brought him much joy.  John is survived by his children: daughter Shawn Hanscom of Katy, TX, spouse Lincoln, and two daughters, Kayla (19) and Sydney (14);  his son Ryan Satterthwaite of Lynn Haven, FL, spouse Tami, and their two children, Dhane (11), and Annie (6).  Please join John’s friends and family at the following: A spreading of ashes on September 28th at 10:00am at Skydive West Plains, 2045 Schoessler Road, Ritzville, WA 99169.  A Celebration of Life service will be held on September 28th at 5:00pm at the McGinnity Room, 116 W. Pacific Avenue, Spokane, WA  99201.  A reception with heavy appetizers and beverages from 6:00pm – 9:00pm following the service.  A burial with full military honors will take place in March of 2020 at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL.  Visit his page at hennesseyfuneralhomes.com

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