John DeSoto, 82, of Stanwood, WA, died in his sleep Monday morning. He was born April 24, 1932 to Fred and Etta (Canada) DeSoto. He joins his mother who died shortly before his 3rd birthday and his father who died in 1996. John's daughter, Kerry Peine, passed away in 1988.

With his father's permission John joined the Navy in 1948. He served in Port Facilities in Tsingchao, China, until Chairman Mao evicted the Americans in China. He served aboard the USS Guadalupe which fueled ships in China. He was gig coxon for the captain. He received the China Sea medal. He was part of the first invasion of Inchon, Korea aboard the USS Comstock (LSD 19). Marines were unloaded with shooting over their heads and they waited at the 9 mile tide. John received a 30% hearing disability.

He returned to Shreveport and married Dorothy Lea Williams in 1954. Their children are Penny DeSoto, Angela (Greg) McClelland, Lenore (Tony) Hoffmann, Patricia (Bill) Smith, Glenn (Cynthia) DeSoto, Philip (Celina) DeSoto, and Kirk (Joycee) DeSoto. In 1990 he married Phyllis (Petterson) Cuddihy in Portland, Oregon.

John's funeral will be at 1 pm, Saturday, June 7th, at the LDS Chapel on Camano Island, with burial the next week at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, WA.

Arrangements under the direction of Gilbertson Funeral Home, Stanwood.