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John E. Esborn Wickliffe, OH QCWA # 30244 Chapter 1 |
John E. Esborn, age 98, of Wickliffe, died Friday evening, Jan 11, 2019, at his residence with family by his side. He was born June 1, 1920 in Halmstad Provence of Halland, Sweden, the son of John H. and Hilda J. (Johansson) Esborn, and has resided in the Wickliffe area most of his life.
Mr. Esborn was a veteran of the US Army Air Force serving in World War II, where he was a POW and received the Purple Heart.
John was a mechanical engineer working many years at Lubrizol and retiring from the engineering firm of David Round.
Mr. Esborn was of the Lutheran faith, previously serving as a deacon and was a member of the men's club. He was a member of the Vasa Club, a Swedish American fraternal organization. His enjoyments included reading, photography and was an amateur radio operator, K8OCK.
Survivors include three children, Carol L. (Gary) Silbiger of Mentor, Joan L. Christy of Cuyahoga Falls and John D. (Terri) Esborn of Wickliffe; six grandchildren, Karen Thorton, Tracey Gaylord, Jennifer and Tim Christy, and Michael and Jarred Esborn; and six great-grandchildren, Jonathan, Nicholas, Chloe, Zachary, Connor and Aubrey.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two wives, Eleanor (Petzel) and Rose (George) Esborn; brothers, Hilding, Carl-Erik and Torsten Esborn; sister, Jane Kilroy.
Services will be held Friday at 6:00 PM at the Davis-Babcock Funeral Home, 4154 Clark Ave., Willoughby with Charles Pahlman, Crossroads Hospice Chaplin officiating.
Private burial will take place in Crown Hill Cemetery, Twinsburg with military honors.
Visitation will be Friday from 4 to 6 PM prior to the service at the Davis-Babcock Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be directed to Crossroads Hospice, 9775 Rockside Rd., #270, Valley View, OH 44125, envelopes will be at the funeral home.
The Fleming & Billman Funeral Directors and Crematory, Jefferson, Geneva & Ashtabula is handling arrangements and is privileged to serve the John E. Esborn family.
Visit www.fleming-billman.comto view obituary, express condolences or light a candle.
Published in News-Herald on Jan. 15, 2019
Cleveland Chapter 1 Newsletter - Forth Quarter 2009
MEMBER PROFILE
K8OCK: Sweden to Cleveland
John Esborn was born in Halmstad, Sweden in 1920 and moved here with his family at age 10. He spoke no English but learned quickly.
After attending East Technical and Fenn College he began a life-long career in mechanical engineering.
In 1942 John entered the Army Air Corps, trained as a flight engineer, (his first flight was with Charles Lindburgh) and flew 18 missions including 7 as co-pilot. His B24 was shot down over Vienna in 1944 and John bailed out with a ripped parachute, landing hard and breaking both ankles. Surgery was successful. But John soon faced a German firing squad, escaping death when his captors elected to interrogate him. His POW camp was abandoned by his captors as the war ended, and John recovered his health as he returned to U.S. civilian life.
Engineering was his first love, and his career covered positions with material handling firms. He co-founded Hoist Equipment Co., worked for Lubrizol, was chief engineer at David Round Co., and retired in 1982 as Director of Engineering for Stanspec Corp.
His ham interest began in 1935, but not until 1958 did he receive a license. As K8OCK, he designed and built much of his own equipment - including receivers, transmitters, antennas and microphones. His handiwork led to his second contact with far off Hawaii. His station has included several HF rigs, including Ten Tec Omnis and Jupiters, but now is confined to VHF operation.
John's family includes two daughters, one son, six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. His wife Rosie passed away in 1986. Over the years, K8OCK has traveled to most of the European countries, Africa and above the Arctic Circle. John's other interests include reading, photography, and golf, which he once played in bare feet on a doctor's orders.
| One of our chapter's favorite nanogenarians, John Esbornm K8OCK, recetly celebrated his 97th birthday at the Friday Lunch Bunch FLB at the Manhattan Deli in Willoughby Hills |