Obituary for John Lansdown

John L. Lansdown

November 13, 1918 – November 25, 2019

John L. Lansdown, a long time Ponca City resident, passed away on Monday, November 25, in his home just 12 days after having celebrated his 101st birthday with his family. A Celebration of Life will be held for John L. on Tuesday, December 3, at 2:00 pm at the Albright United Methodist Church. A private family burial will be held at an earlier time. Friends are invited to stay for visitation after the 2:00 service in the Church Fellowship Hall downstairs. Arrangements are under the direction of Trout Funeral Home & Crematory.

John was born in Nash, Oklahoma, on November 13, 1918, just two days after the signing of the Armistice ending WW I. He was the 8th child of the 15 children born to Ezra Ray and Irene Bush Lansdown, and was the last remaining survivor of his childhood family.

John graduated from high school in Friona, Texas, where he enjoyed running the mile on his Track Team. He then when to Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva to pursue a Teaching Degree in the area of Business. John attended Northwestern for 3 and ½ years but left his field of study to serve his country when Pearl Harbor was bombed in December of 1941.

In 2005, John’s grandson and namesake, John Thomas Green, applied to Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva to get an honorary degree for his Papa John. The Oklahoma State Regents for High Education acting through the Northwestern Oklahoma State University admitted John Lee Lansdown to the Honorary Degree of Baccalaureate in Humane Letters and Public Service.

During WWII John served in the US Coast Guard as a yeoman 1/c serving aboard a coast guard manned frigate in the Pacific. He served in the American Theater, Asiatic-Pacific, and the Philippines. Also during WW II a Five-Star Service Flag was flown in the home at Alva as 5 of the 12 sons, Including John, were members of the Armed Forces during that war. John’s mother received a letter from President FDR thanking her for her service to our country. All of the Lansdown sons returned home safely from the war.

After the war, John returned to Ponca City and was employed as a Letter Carrier with the US Post Office where he had a distinguished civil service career for 34 years. He received an award for 30 years of safe driving as well as the “One Million” miles award for safe driving.

John L. and Thelma Wright Lansdown were married in 1943 in the United Brethren Church at Palm and Central and celebrated 70 years of marriage prior to her passing in 2014. After the couple retired in 1978, they were both actively involved in directing exercise at the Senior Citizen Center for 17 years. John was very proud that the Center continued to play his exercise DVD even after he retired from leading the exercise group at age 92. Marie Trenary used the DVD to inaugurate the new flat screen tv at the Center and also honored John on his 100th birthday at the same time.

John and Thelma delivered Meals on Wheels for 30 years until he had his 90th birthday. He also drove the church van to pick people up on Sunday mornings until his 90th birthday. For many years he taught Sunday School and was actively involved in other activities at the Albright United Methodist Church, formerly the Evangelical United Brethren Church.

John was predeceased by his parents, by his wife, Thelma; by brothers, Forest, Floyd, Perry, Orvil, Hilton, Lawrence, Paul, Ivan, Irvan, Ralph, and Joe; by sisters, Cecil Doris Culp, Stella Irene Bullard, and Mary Edith Tarrant; and by a cousin, Laura May Tolle, who grew up with the family and they considered a sister.

He is survived by his daughters, Carol Green(Tommy) of Ponca City, and Karen Ford(Tony) of Louisville, Kentucky; by his grandchildren of Ponca City, Julie Green Feathers (Robert), Kelly Green Pettit (Marty), and John T. Green; by his grandsons Matthew Ford (Marcia) of Fountain Valley CA, and Joshua Ford of Louisville; and by granddaughter, Elizabeth Ford Alford (Chris) of Omaha, Nebraska. He is survived by great grandsons Trevor and Tyler Howard of Ponca City; Jackson, Emma, Katie, Judah, and Zeke Ford, of Fountain Valley; and Bailey, Zoe, and Max Alford of Omaha.

John is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and a host of other family and friends.

Source: Trout Funeral Home