Lasting Memories

John Nicholas Luque
May 20, 1917-Feb. 5, 2013
Palo Alto, California

John was born on May 20, 1917 in Oahu, Hawaii and passed away peacefully on Feb. 5, 2013, in Palo Alto at the age of 95.

He was the youngest of 10 children and the lone survivor of 5 sisters and 2 brothers. He moved with his family to San Francisco at the age of 4 where he resided up to 1948. He lived most of his life in Menlo Park and for the last 5 years in Palo Alto.

John was always proud of being a South of Market Street kid who as a youngster sold newspapers on corners he fought other kids to hold. He was an avid baseball player with several semi pro teams in the City and played ball with Dominic Dimaggio. He was a walking dictionary of baseball history and was the first President of the Menlo Park Little League in the early 1950s. He was honorably discharged from the United States Navy in 1945, having served 3 years aboard the USS Boreas in the South Pacific supplying troops through the WWII Island hopping invasions of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, Herbides, and Marshall Islands.

John worked in the steam shipping business filling the cargo holds of many major shipping lines. He was known as the Cotton King, exporting most of all the cotton grown in California, and was one of the bigger exporters of grapes and other agricultural products from the state. He was instrumental in rebuilding shipping trade for several major Japanese shipping lines after World War II and was highly respected by the Japanese shipping industry.

He is survived by his bride, Laura, his 3 sons, Gary of Newport Beach, CA, Gregory of Sarasota, FL, Glenn of Santa Cruz, CA., 5 grandchildren and 1 great grand child.