Not a day goes by that I don't think about Big John. We met in the third grade at La Luz School and went to Garfield, Valley, and UNM together. When I graduated from UNM and got my job at the Las Vegas, NV Review Journal, the sports editor told me they were looking for a new sports writer and let them know if I knew anyone available. I immediately contacted John in ABQ and he was hired virtually immediately. I remember he had such a positive impact with the newspaper staff and the athletic department at UNLV. Big John was very intelligent, very funny, was an excellent writer and had a positive way with people. I had already moved back to ABQ in 1972 and John stayed behind in Las Vegas making a name for himself. I remember New Years Night 1973. I got a telephone call from John's boss in Las Vegas. He informed me that John had been found dead in his apartment. It appeared he accidentally electrocuted himself New Year's Eve when he was getting ready to go out on the town. HIs boss asked me for John's parents phone number so he could have the Las Vegas coroner's office call them. I told him no and said I would tell them. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. It has been 43 years since Big John has left us and I still miss him. I am sure he is living comfortably in Viking Valhalla.
Leslie Fluke
Albuquerque
Bernalillo County
New Mexico, USA
Las Vegas
Clark County
Nevada, USA
Sunset Memorial Park
Albuquerque
Bernalillo County
New Mexico, USA
Created by: CryptoGram
Record added: Feb 08, 2010
Find A Grave Memorial# 47804465
Robert Lowder
Photo above is of John at his apartment complex in Las Vegas, Nevada, September 1972.
He was working at that time as a sportswriter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper.
Robert Lowder
Black & White photo above shows John and Bob during their days as sportswriters for the University of New Mexico Daily Lobo newspaper.
Michael (David) Perry
Not a day goes by that I don't think about Big John. We met in the third grade at La Luz School and went to Garfield, Valley, and UNM together. When I graduated from UNM and got my job at the Las Vegas, NV Review Journal, the sports editor told me they were looking for a new sports writer and let them know if I knew anyone available. I immediately contacted John in ABQ and he was hired virtually immediately. I remember he had such a positive impact with the newspaper staff and the athletic department at UNLV. Big John was very intelligent, very funny, was an excellent writer and had a positive way with people. I had already moved back to ABQ in 1972 and John stayed behind in Las Vegas making a name for himself. I remember New Years Night 1973. I got a telephone call from John's boss in Las Vegas. He informed me that John had been found dead in his apartment. It appeared he accidentally electrocuted himself New Year's Eve when he was getting ready to go out on the town. HIs boss asked me for John's parents phone number so he could have the Las Vegas coroner's office call them. I told him no and said I would tell them. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. It has been 43 years since Big John has left us and I still miss him. I am sure he is living comfortably in Viking Valhalla.
Nick Pavlakovich Jr.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=47804465&PIpi=46461785