John Alex
John Alex, 91, of Libby, Montana, passed away Saturday, July 6, 2024, at the Libby Care Center. He was born Oct. 12, 1932, to Mary and Nick Spirovich.
He was raised by his grandmother, Eva Maygar. During his senior year of high school, John changed his name to Alex, his stepfather’s name. While he grew up, his mom worked at the soup kitchen and his dad was a guard. They lived in a second story apartment in Hammond, Indiana until their deaths just before his graduation.
John worked driving and delivering paint and at the tank factory until he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force on March 3, 1953. He became an engine mechanic. He retired on Jan. 1, 1976, after 23 years as a Senior Master Sergeant. He was stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington; Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona; and back to Fairchild. He served 1964-1967 at Keflavik Naval Air Station in Iceland; Norton Air Force Base in California; Tuyttoa, Vietnam in 1969; and Travis Air Force Base in California.
John married Kathryn Sichting on May 14, 1955, and they enjoyed 58 years together until her death in 2013, where they had retired to Libby, Montana and homesteaded on family property.
They had two daughters, Linda and Deborah. As a family, they enjoyed camping, sightseeing and traveling much of the U.S. for vacations. One time they traveled from New Jersey to California. They also traveled to Mexico a couple of times.
John owned a small rubber stamp machine and in his spare time he kept busy making address stamps while in Vietnam. He sold advertisements and got his real estate license in California.
When he moved to Libby, he sold Xerox machines, novelty advertisement giveaways and his rubber stamps. He became the administrator of the Three Lake Christian School in 1985 and continued until its closing. In 1995, he volunteered as an overall helper at Elohim Camp and Retreat Center for eight years.
John was an active member in the Fairfield Kiwanis Club, as well as the Libby Republican Club and Central Committee. He belonged to the Three Lakes Community Bible Church in Troy and held office and has been a part of the Libby Church of the Nazarene since 2002, leading the men’s bible study many of those years. John learned how to speak publicly from his Dale Carnegie Course and loved to be speaking to people. He enjoyed telling jokes and had lots of stories.
John had a bad knee from an injury as a toddler that did not keep him from serving his country. He was treated for years for a blood disorder that he took transfusions for and, lastly, he got asbestosis from working on the airplanes in the Air Force.
John loved his Lord, wife, family, home and country.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Kay and sister, Marie Lickwar Strapko, of Rockford, Illinois.
John leaves behind his daughters, Linda Colson and Deborah Stokesberry and their husbands, Bill and Bill; grandchildren, great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandson.
The family will hold a memorial service for John at 2 p.m., Saturday, July 20, 2024, at the Church of the Nazarene in Libby, Montana.
Arrangements are under the care of Schnackenberg Funeral Home of Libby. Online condolences and memories may be shared by visiting www.schnackenbergfh.com.