Courtyard At Jamestown Blog

John Mumford

John Kenneth Mumford was working at the Southern Pacific Railroad in Ogden, Utah as a machinist apprentice when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. He entered the United States Army Air Force on the 2nd of October, 1942 at the age of 21 and did not see his family or home again for the next 38 months. After basic training he was sent to the Air Force Cryptographic School in Pawling, New York, and upon graduation was immediately sent to the European theater of WWII. John served the next 30 months as a cryptographer in Prestwick, Ayrshire, Scotland. He also served a short time in Paris, France before arriving home on Christmas night, 1945. He was honorably discharged three days later from active duty but served an additional three years in the Air force Reserves.
He was born April 10, 1921 the second son of John Flitton Mumford and Rhoda Stitt Mumford and attended Pingree Elementary, Lewis Junior High, Ogden High and Weber State College.
In February, 1946 he met Ann Taylor of Plain City, Utah and he was so infatuated with her that they were engaged in August and married November 15, 1946 in the Salt Lake Temple. She has been his lifelong sweetheart for 65 years.
After returning from his military service John attended Weber State College and the Pacific Coast Banking School in Seattle, Washington. He taught banking classes for the American Institute of Banking and basic accounting in the evening school at Weber State University.
John was associated with and worked in the banks of Weber and Davis counties for twenty years before going to work at Hill Air Force Base where he worked until he retired, as the chief of the pay and travel section on Dec 30th, 1983. He had been an active member of the American Institute of Banking and the National Association of Bank Auditors and Comptrollers. He was also a member of the Ogden Lions Club.
He is a high priest and life time active member of the LDS church. He has served in various positions but preferred and enjoyed teaching Sunday school and priesthood the best.
In his younger years he enjoyed hiking, snowmobiling, golfing, and square and round dancing. If it hadn't been for his legs and Peripheral Neuropathy he would still be trying. He and Ann spent a number of summers traveling with friends throughout the western and coastal states and western part of Canada in their trailers. John and Ann lived in St George from 1989 to 2008.
His greatest joy and pride is his association with his three daughters, ten grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. He claims they are his best and most important asset he has ever had. However, he does say that Ann has been the most important loving part of his life since 1946. He is well known by his family for his immaculate care of his cars. He has even been known to vacuum out the engines.
You may know him by a name other than John. His mother called him “Ken”, his old friends called him “Johnnie”, his wife calls him “John”, some call him “Dad” or “Grandpa”, and some of his new friends call him “Johnnie”.
In the words of John, Ken, & Johnnie, “I love my country and am glad that I was able to participate in keeping it safe. I am so lucky that Ann waited for me to come home. We didn't realize it at the time what we were waiting for but it really worked out for me.”