John Anthony – thoughts and recollections

I first met John Anthony at Great Northern Airlines in late 1976. I was 21 and he was a wild 18 year old. He pulled up in a fluorescent yellow/green 1974 Chevy Nova with loud pipes and fat tires.

He was the boss’s kid, so I thought – oh no – this is going to be a real pain…

Well, it wasn’t. John turned out to be a not only a great guy to work with but one of my best friends as well.

We worked together at GNA on the night shift. Together we learned the Lockheed Electra and how to make them dispatch reliably each morning.

This was all flight line work outside with NO HANGAR.

Early on, during the winter of 1976, we were assigned to pull the No. 1 Engine on an Electra. We had a very basic job card and absolutely zero experience on engine changes. We did great and pulled it in record time….except we failed to disconnect the turbine inlet temperature wiring and managed to rip the wires out by the roots. The boss was NOT HAPPY the following morning as the flight was cancelled.

We also found time to get into a lot of mischief and a little trouble in many different ways. Some I really can’t go into here…

One night John showed me a trick he learned working around Zantop in Ypsilanti:

The oxygen / acetylene filled garbage bag “party favor” - it was VERY impressive when ignited!

We worked together at GNA for several years and ended up bachelor pad roommates along with some GNA flight crew at a great house down in Bootlegger’s Cove. There were many good times there, right on Cook Inlet.

We had quite the crew at GNA – John’s dad (John Anthony Sr.) was Directory of Quality Control. And we had a revolving door of Directors of Maintenance – the company tended to chew them up and spit them out.

But the core mechanics alumni have a fairly impressive list of accomplishments in the airline business – and it’s a tough business these days.

Out of the ones I’m aware of:

3 Directors of Maintenance
1 Director of Quality Control
1 FAA Inspector
1 QC Manager
4 Maintenance Technicians with major airlines

The really smart ones got out of the airline business and went into printing, etc.

John and I worked together at GNA until Alaska International Air bought us out in 1979. After the buyout and subsequent layoffs, John and I and 8 others were the only ones left from GNA’s 40 person maintenance department.

At AIA we moved to the Herc world. Again John and I shared the night shift and took care of up to 5 aircraft by ourselves.

We had some interesting field trips during our times at AIA.

One involved going to Dillingham to rescue a Herc with two flat tires. We flew over in an ERA Twin Otter filled with our tools and two spare Herc tires.

The AIA Herc had blown two tires on the LH side during landing and now sat halfway down the runway, blocking all large aircraft traffic, during the height of fish hauling season.

The Twin Otter could easily land on half the runway and we got to work right away.

A small crowd quickly gathered and asked, “HOW LONG is this going to take?”

They had loads of fresh fish on their aircraft sitting at the airport that were in danger of spoiling!

We could see the aircraft was too low for the jack we’d brought because the tires were worn away to where the wheel rims were on the ground.

Simple – we’ll just dig a whole in the gravel runway until the jack fits.

“NO!” said the airport police, “we’re going to pave this next week. You can’t dig a hole here.”

John gave it some thought and quickly came up with a solution – Non aircraft types may have some troubling following these details:

The Herc has tandem main landing gear; one tire in front of the other.

We let the nitrogen charge out of the rear MLG strut.

Then we chained the strut up in the collapsed position.

By manipulating the Herc’s drive-on rear cargo loading ramp in the full down position we were able to leverage the aircraft with the ramp and use the forward gear as the fulcrum.

This lifted the collapsed and chained rear strut off the ground enough to get our jack underneath. Pure hero genius – that was John!

John used to say that he looked up to me as an aircraft mechanic mentor and that I taught him everything he knew about troubleshooting electrical and avionics systems faults on aircraft and how to read wiring diagrams.

Well, I may have given him a few pointers and steered him in the right direction, but really John was, without a doubt, the most naturally talented mechanic I’ve worked with in my 32 year career. He had an innate ability to look at any mechanical device with a problem, quickly analyze it and come up with the best method to fix it. On top of that, he could go and accomplish the fix faster than anyone else.

We both got married in 1982 (to women – not each other) and shortly thereafter received a great wedding present from AIA - laid off due to lack of work (gotta love those airlines). We both drifted into different orbits around the airport – John ended up at NAC and I went to RAA.

When John went to Tennessee I dropped in to see him there over a weekend. He was doing subcontracted turns on FedEx 727s.

We stayed in touch as he moved on to Spirit Airlines in Detroit. As we both advanced to management positions we stayed in sporadic contact as our work lives became busier and more hectic. We would call and email and commiserate on the pitfalls and stresses of management and how to deal with them.

One cool technique he used with his newly issued Blackberry, when it buzzed incessantly with new messages, was to just throw it in the trunk of his car and close the trunk lid.

During these phone calls there was often talk of misty memories and longing for the good old days when we just had to FIX airplanes, rather than deal with the FAA, paperwork, pointless meetings, personnel issues, and upper management.

I last saw John in September 2000 when I stopped in Ypsilanti for a couple of days on business. When we met, the first thing he said was –
“Hey Paul, man we’re getting FAT!”

We’d planned to meet up in Detroit again later this month, when I had a one day layover set up between business trips.

His passing made me reconsider a few things – Mainly, don’t put things off!

Just do it.

John was a very charming and funny guy who could always find a way to make you laugh and I’ll surely miss him for a very long time. He would do anything to help a friend. I’m honored to have known him and counted him as a true friend.

Bye John. We’ll miss you.

Paul Willing

Our friend Johnnie

I meet Johnnie in 1979 when Paul and I started dating. While he started out as Paul's friend, John and I became good friends right away and remained close throughout the years.

Johnnie's killer smile, sense of humor and crazy antics are legendary. He was constantly trying to talk us into some new adventure or telling us the details of what happened with someone else.

Through the years our bodies were in different places, but our hearts were always connected. No matter how much time had passed we were always ready to share and catch-up as if we had seen each other the day before.

During those visits, phone calls and emails, John never failed to tell me how much he loved Paul and I, and how important our friendship was, and we would always tell him that we felt the same and meant every word of it.

I am honored to call John Anthony one of my closest friends, a man of his word, a kind man, a man who wasn't afraid to say he loved you...a true friend.

Jody

John Anthony - Slide Show

For those who could not make it to the services, here's a slide show to enjoy.

Guest Book

October 25, 2007
The passing of John struck all of us here at Spirit Airlines very hard. He played a very important role in our day to day operations in the maintenance dept. here. His quick smile and ability to think a way through things will surely be missed. The Lord took a great man from us but now has one next to him. God Bless...

Garrett West (Roselle, IL)

October 23, 2007

Chuck Nicholls (Saline)

October 15, 2007
I am very saddened by the loss of John Anthony Jr. He was one of the finest people I knew. Anything he said or did was from his heart and you could count on it as the truth. In the many years I knew him I could rely on the fact that if he said he was going to do something it would be done and done correctly. John loved with all his heart. If you hurt, he hurt. Everyone that knew him was touched by his compassion for others. Although I now have a great void in my life and miss him very much I look forward to eternity with him. He has made heaven a more joyful place. I know this for a fact because I had the honor of being his sister. I love and miss you John.Your Sis,Diane

Diane Hatley (Maryville, TN)

October 13, 2007
I was very surprised and sad to here about John's death. He was a great friend and leader. We spent many good hours working the graveyard shift together at NAC. He will be missed.

John Allen (Fallon, NV)

October 12, 2007
Please see John's Memorial Site at http://johnanthonyjr.blogspot.com/ for my guest book entry.

Paul Willing (Anchorage, AK) Contact me

October 10, 2007
I am saddened to hear about John's passing. Like his father, he was a good man and a great mechanic. I worked with him for many years at GNA and Markair from the late 70's till the early 80's. He always had a quick smile and a great laugh. My condolences to the family.

Dave Lane (Marietta, GA) Contact me

October 10, 2007
I was completely caught off guard when I heard the news. I have thought of him every day since. He was a good friend and I will never forget him. I wish his family well.

John "Herb" Herbert (Nampa, ID) Contact me

October 9, 2007
I was very shocked and hurt to hear of John's passing. I am very lucky to have got to know John and proud to have been his friend. Never once did he ever greet me with anything less than a large smile and chearfull hello. He was looked up to and admired by all that worked for him or with him her at Northern Air Cargo.

Russell Hoffman (Anchorage, AK)

Photo Album Updated

New photos online today at John Anthony online photo album.

Power Tool Trouble

My memories of John go back to GNA where we both worked as mechanic helpers. John already had quite a bit of experience and I had none. In another exhibition of my lack of experience I was grinding a tool on a bench grinder with the wheel guard too far from the wheel.

Long story short..............After grinding the end of my finger off I went next door for help and found John. I told him I needed to go to the Hospital because I broke my finger. Not realizing I was serious he said, "get outta here" (or words to that effect) so I opened my other hand that was holding it. HAhahahaha I almost felt sorry for him! The pain hadn't hit me yet but I almost made John sick!

Posted for driftwood

And then there was the time...

And then there was the time when I stored my Harley for the winter in the GNA warehouse complete with key. Bad idea. After discovering it damaged (bent bars or dented tank, I don't remember) I asked around and someone told me to ask John about it. I asked him and he sheepishly admitted "trying it out" after a few beers. He was pretty embarrassed but made it right. The ice covered parking lot turned out to be a poor test ride. HAhahahaha.

Posted for driftwood

John Anthony Remembered

I remember when I first hired on at Great Northern Airlines in Anchorage around 1978 as an aircraft mechanic. John, Paul and Tony worked as a maintenance team and were already old hands there although both John and Paul were younger than me. They taught me and tested me and I had to prove my worth before they accepted me as another mech who could get the job done. We found that we all had other similar "interests" and hung out together at work and in our off time. John's charisma and abilities extended far beyond his exceptional talents as an aircraft mechanic. He was someone you could always count on.

The years went by and we went our separate ways but we always kept that friendship that we developed during many a sub-zero night working on old airplanes and more than one 7 AM beer together after graveyard shift was over.

In the 90's I ended up in Detroit working for Spirit Airlines and John came to me looking for a job. We had both matured some but it was the same old John. Quick to share a joke and always there for you. I was raising my son and John was with his lady friend but we still tried to get together when we could to laugh about old times and share new good times. When I left Spirit a few years later I was so pleased when he called me and told me he had been offered my old job there as Director of Maintenance. I knew with him at the helm that Spirit's maintenance department would continue to grow and improve.

I am proud to have known John and he will always be one of my closest friends. I just wish he was here so I could tell him that.

Posted for kdog

John Anthony Jr.

Former Alaska resident John Anthony Jr., 48, died Sept. 14, 2007, at home in Belleville, Mich.

A celebration of life and wake will be at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Snow Goose Restaurant in Anchorage.

Mr. Anthony was born Oct. 15, 1958, in Fairfield, Calif., to John and June Elaine Anthony. At age 14 he started working with his father at the airport cleaning airplanes. His interest in aircraft maintenance grew as he watched his father and the other mechanics at work.

He moved to Alaska with his parents in 1975 and began working as an aircraft mechanic for Great Northern Airlines in 1976. In 1979, GNA was purchased by Alaska International Air (later MarkAir). He earned his FAA Airframe & Powerplant Certificate and advanced to lead mechanic while working there until 1983. After a job as inspector with Seair in 1983-84, he began a 10-year career with Northern Air Cargo as A&P mechanic, shift lead mechanic and maintenance foreman.

In 1982 he married Denise Lundquist. In 1983 his daughter Kathryn was born, followed by his son John III in 1989.

In 1994, he left Alaska and moved to Tennessee where he worked for Knox Air. In 1995 he moved to Michigan and began a 12-year career with Spirit Airlines, advancing from A&P mechanic to director of maintenance.

His family wrote: "John enjoyed working hard and playing hard. He liked high-performance cars and working to make them faster. He enjoyed spending time with his friends and family and was always ready with a joke or prank to make everyone laugh."There wasn't anything in this world that meant more to him than his family. He was the best dad anyone could ever ask for. He was a great mentor to all of his employees and co-workers. This world is at a great loss without him."

"He was a loving father, brother, son and friend."

Mr. Anthony is survived by his daughter, Kathryn Anthony of Soldotna; son, John Anthony III of Chitina; sister, Diane Hatley of Maryville, Tenn.; brother, Robert Anthony of Taylor, Mich.; loving companion, Ruth Sloan of Belleville, Mich.; and many other family members.

Friends who would like to send condolences may mail them to 44989 Eddy Hill Drive, Soldotna 99669.

One of the Funniest Things My Dad...

One of the funniest things my Dad would say to me is when we would speak on the phone, I would ask him what he was doing and he would reply, "talking to my 'dawgturd'"which he would make sound like daughter....

Posted for Snowbutton

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Dad - - - by Judy Burnette

Posted for John’s children:

Dad...so many images come to mind
whenever I speak your name;
It seems without you in my life
things have never been the same.

What happened to those lazy days
when I was just a child;
When my life was consumed in you
in your love, and in your smile.

What happened to all those times
when I always looked to you;
No matter what happened in my life
you could make my gray skies blue.

Dad, some days I hear your voice
and turn to see your face;
Yet in my turning...it seems
the sound has been erased.

Dad, who will I turn to for answers
when life does not make sense;
Who will be there to hold me close
when the pieces just don't fit.

Oh, Dad, if I could turn back time
and once more hear your voice;
I'd tell you that out of all the dads
you would still be my choice.

Please always know I love you
and no one can take your place;
Years may come and go
but your memory will never be erased.

Today, Jesus, as You are listening
in your home above;
Would you go and find my dad
and give him all my love.

John Anthony Photos

Here's a link to the John Anthony online photo album. If you've got some to add, just post to this blog and I'll see they get uploaded to the album. Please provide any date and caption info that you can.

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Wake for John in Anchorage

For all his Alaskan friends and family, we’re hosting a wake at the Snow Goose Restaurant on Saturday October 13, 2007, beginning at 4:00 p.m.

If you like to say a few words about the John you knew, this is the time. We’re expecting some of the old GNA gang, NAC crew and others. There’ll be appetizers provided and cocktails for purchase.

We also hope to have a short slide show put together.

Please come and join in.

Check the Anchorage Daily News for John's obituary on Tuesday.