John J. Betts

John J. Betts, 90, passed away June 20, 2013. John was born in 1923 in Lynn, Massachusetts. He graduated from Lynn English High School in 1941 and attended two years at Curry College in Boston.

During World War II, John was drafted into the Army Air Corps and served in the China-Burma-India Theatre. Upon returning home in 1946, John worked as a carpenter and later formed his own construction company building residential and commercial structures. He married the love of his life, Katherine Frangos, in 1949. During the Korean War, John was recalled into active duty with the US Air Force in 1952, serving two more years before returning home to his family and construction business, and enlisting with the Air Force Reserves. When John was once again recalled into active duty with the Air Force in 1962, he decided to shut down his construction company and remain active duty with the military working in Civil Engineering. After serving two tours of duty in Vietnam and in multiple locations around the world, John retired from the military as Master Sergeant in 1976 after 27 years of distinguished service to his country. John then worked as a motion picture projectionist (a skill he learned as a young man before WWII) for the next 16 years before retiring in Aurora with Katherine.

John is survived by his four children: Esther Kereakoglow, James Betts, Joanne Hughes and Steven Betts. He is also survived by five grandchildren (Stephen, Sandra and Jeffrey Kereakoglow; and Natalie and Annie Betts) and one great-grandchild (Evie Kereakoglow). He is preceded in death by his wife, Katherine, who passed away in 2011 after 62 years of marriage.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in the memory of John Betts to:

"IOOF Kearsarge Lodge 217"
115 Elmwood Road
Swampscott, MA 01907.

IOOF is the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, http://www.ioof.org/ourwork.html, a charitable organization founded in the 1800s. Lodge 217 in Massachusetts is the Lodge that gave holiday baskets and support to John's family during the Great Depression when John's mother became a widow at the tender age of 35 with four young children; a time when Welfare, Social Security, and other safety- net programs didn't exist. John never forgot the kindness and generosity bestowed upon his family by the Odd Fellows, which is why he became a lifelong member of Kearsarge Lodge 217.

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