John Elston

John was born at Pocatello, Idaho October 1, 1914 to Arthur George and Olga Elston. Along with them lived Olga’s parents. John was close to his grandmother, who’s personality contributed greatly to John’s character until she passed when John was five. Many stories that John repeated pay tribute to his affection for grandma and grandpa Luginbuehl. “Did I ever tell you about the peaches?” The story relays that John had to win over his grandpa’s heart by climbing up to retrieve some peaches from a basket high up in the kitchen and offer one to him. John claimed that from that time on, he felt that grandpa treated him special. As a child, when John was selling newspapers on the streets of downtown Pocatello, his feet froze. Grandma lovingly thawed them out just before the effects of frostbite could take hold. Coming from Geneva, Switzerland, she always spoke to John in German, and he even repeated her phrases in his last week of life. When he was served a meal in Rehab, He said “Das ist Gut!” As a youth, John’s family moved to Bloomington, California. Their new next door neighbors were the Preece family. Dorothy, the daughter was about John’s age and they grew to be friends, but many times they would sass each other like siblings. John and Dorothy both went to Colton High School. John noticed that different boys would pass notes to Dorothy’s classmate, Jean Hubbs, who John fancied. But Jean paid no mind to the notes, and never looked at, or acknowledge their pursuit. So John decided to try sending his own message to Jean. One day, John slipped her a note across the aisle in class, that said, “Do your eyes bother you? Because they bother me!” Jean smiled back and that was the beginning of their courtship. Dorothy had met a boy at school named Euliss Hubbs, Jean’s older brother. One night, when John came calling to Jean’s house to pick her up for a date, Dorothy was there visiting Euliss, her boyfriend, Dorothy said, “Johnny, what are you doing here?” Lucy, Jean’s Mom, turned to her and said, “John’s here calling on Jean!” So from that point on, John and Jean dated, and double-dated with Dorothy and Euliss. At this age, John had a big interest in cars. John would splice together car body pieces, engines, transmissions, and perform automotive surgeries that satisfied his creative talents. John would show up with a “new” car from time to time by merely changing up the bodies of his cars, whether they be convertible or coupe. Jean never knew which car John would arrive in. Like a suit hanging on a hanger, John would store the car bodies from the natural lift of the day, a tree. When John decided to seek serious work, he took a job in Sonora, CA. and worked the gold mines at Angel’s Camp. John called for Jean to come join him. Once she was there, they married on February 5, 1935. Hundreds of mining stories have been told by John all his life. John worked with explosives to blast the hillsides and carve away the exact area to be explored. He was respected for his precise explosive cuts, as well as his acquired talent for working with black powder, his tool of choice. Jean, however had to deal with wood-burning stoves, escorted trips to the outhouse, and a generally adventurous lifestyle. It was Jean’s homesickness that caused John to seek employment nearer home. John found work in Colton; Jess and Buck Hubbs Heavy Equipment and Earthmoving. Euliss, remember Euliss? was driving a truck with a whole crew sitting on the pick-up bed and crashed the truck, which also rolled. No one was killed, but Johnny was thrown from the truck and struck his skull on a telephone pole metal step. At the hospital, the doctors gave him six days to live, at the most. When John repeated this story last week, he said, “And here I am at a hundred!” During their days in Colton, John and Jean were fortunate enough to manage some apartments, which provided a home for them rent free. John would perform the maintenance, and Jean would manage the operation. John Wayne Elston was born January 2nd, 1940 while they lived there and John now knew he needed a job that would provide a typical paycheck. As we now were involved in the war, John found employment at Convair in San Diego. The Elston family moved to Pacific Beach in San Diego county. John was first paid .50/hr., which increased as John moved through the ranks to management. John worked to create tooling to build our planes and was always tuned into important discussions of current and future projects taking place in other departments. This gave him a leg up on problem solving. At Scripps/La Jolla hospital on September 10, 1953, Jean gave birth to Deborah Helene, and there was now a need for a larger home. The Elstons decided to purchase a home in Del Mar. They kept ownership of the Pacific Beach home and used it as a rental.. The Elston home became the favorite location when the family got together. John would ride his motorcycle on the beach, teaching Jean how to ride his 1928 Harley. The kids would all play, and sometimes the family would watch the horse trainers run the race horses on the beach from the Del Mar fairgrounds. There was always company. They later purchased some raw land where the 5 freeway now lies. Uncle John taught nieces and nephews who visited “The Old Man Tucker” song, which they passed on from generation to generation as some of you will even recall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ OLD MAN TUCKER WAS A FINE OLD MAN WASHED HIS FACE WITH A FRYING PAN AND COMBED HIS HAIR WITH A WAGON WHEEL AND DIED WITH A TOOTHACHE IN HIS HEEL John stayed at CONVAIR for 30 years, retiring from there in 1972. The family moved to Riverside when Debbie attended Loma Linda University at La Sierra. But because John still wanted to work, he found a management position at ACE bushing just down the street. After 12 years, John finally retired from machine shop employment completely. John continued fabricating, repairing, and designing at home in his well-equipped garage. We all recall John’s life stories, his testimony, and his faith. And God forgave John for his mortal shortcomings; John knew he was a sinner saved by grace. We are here to honor his memory, his legacy, and the importance of his part in our lives. We know that God has been in control in John’s life, and he’s at peace with God.

John Elston

October 1, 1914 - April 28, 2015

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John Elston

October 1, 1914 - April 28, 2015

COVID-19

Flowers & Gifts

Grief & Healing

Our Services

About Us

Obituaries

What We Do

Contact Information

365 Days of Grief Support