John Lancaster

John Lancaster, 85, of Punta Gorda, FL passed away on March 19, 2011 from complications of a life well lived. He was born in Boston, Mass on September 5, 1925. He lost his father to tuberculosis in 1927 and began working at the age of six, to help support his mother, Delia and sister Kay. At the start of WWII, he went to work in the Charlestown Naval Shipyards and enlisted in the US Army at the age of 17. He served as a Combat Engineer in the Battle of the Bulge and crossed the Rhine into Germany. Upon his return to civilian life, he started a family and worked two jobs for years while taking night classes at Northeastern and MIT on the GI Bill. He worked his way up from a laborer to become a naval architect responsible for changing over the US Navy cruiser fleet from guns to missiles. In 1979, he retired from the Naval Sea Systems Command and moved to Punta Gorda where he worked in real estate for many years. John was a two-time cancer survivor and was a founder and president of the Charlotte County prostate cancer support group, "Man to Man". He loved sailing and spent many happy days with friends and family on the Chesapeake Bay and Charlotte Harbor. John enjoyed listening t...[more]

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rish and jazz music. John is survived by his loving wife of 39 years, Joanne; sons, Conal and daughter-in-law Brenda of Pascagoula, Mississippi; Kevin and daughter-in-law Neuritsa of Oakland, California; Ross of Portland, Oregon; grandchildren, Anoush and her husband, Micah of Oakland, Shana of Xalapa, Mexico, Samuel of Los Angeles and Grace of Santa Barbara. The family will receive friends from 9:00 am till 10:00 am, Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at the Kays-Ponger & Uselton Funeral Home, 635 E Marion Ave, Punta Gorda, FL. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 am Wednesday at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Punta Gorda. Burial will follow at Indian Springs Cemetery with military honors. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society at cancer.org or to Tidewell Hospice at tidewell.org.