John David Ulsher died peacefully in his San Antonio home on Sunday, Jan. 28, surrounded by family.
John leaves a legacy of family, hard work, and high expectations. He served in the U.S. Army just shy of 30 years, was an avid trap, skeet, and sporting clays shooter, and was extremely proud of his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.
He was born in Basin, Montana, on Nov. 11, 1933 to Andrew and Mabel Ulsher, the second of eight children. He grew up in Basin and loved to joke and pull pranks throughout his entire life. He told his children that he was in the top 20 students of his graduating class from Jefferson County High School in 1952. This was true, but funnier when you learned that only 17 students had graduated that year.
He met Joyce Pigman while attending high school. John became a regular at The Fountain in Boulder where Joyce worked, and frequently ordered hand-dipped malts. He was always a bit playful and a bit of a stinker. To get Joyce’s attention, John would put a glass of water upside down on the table with a penny or two as a tip. John’s fun teasing paid off. He and Joyce got married in 1954. His sense of humor continued throughout his life.
As a teen, John worked on the Great Northern Railroad as a track maintenance and tunnel door operator of a 6000-foot tunnel. He later entered the U.S. Army, and worked his way up the ranks. After several years as an enlisted soldier, he was selected for flight school. He became a helicopter pilot in 1965.
John served two tours in Vietnam, first as a crew chief and mechanic, and then as a UH-1 Huey helicopter pilot, earning numerous accommodations and awards. He also served in Korea and Okinawa, where his helicopter caught fire and went down in a jungle. As always, John took a licking and kept on ticking. He was stationed in many locations across the United States and retired as a Chief Warrant Officer-CW4.
John was a storyteller extraordinaire. He could capture the interest of his peers and even his grandchildren’s peers with his stories and jokes! He loved to see his family gathered around the dinner table and was always open to having friends drop by for a meal. He was also known for bringing his amazing smoked salmon or a pot of his homemade beans to events. His Famous Fried Halibut and Scalloped Potatoes with Ham recipes are still used today by his kids and grandkids.
John developed a love and respect for firearms at an early age. The love of shooting firearms and reloading made him a natural mentor to others interested in the sports he loved. John started shooting competitively after joining the U.S. Army in 1954. He was a member of the Army Marksmanship Unit, shooting rifle and pistol, and received an award for the “best shot” during basic training. In his later years, John had a passion for mentoring some of the youngest up-and-coming shooters. Just talking about them and their accomplishments put a smile on his face.
John was the State of Alaska NSSA Skeet Director, Chief Referee, and member of the Alaska State Skeet Team for many years. He was inducted into the Alaska Armed Forces Skeet Association Hall of Fame in 1991, Alaska State ATA Hall of Fame in 2011, and Alaska Skeet Shooting Association Hall of Fame Inaugural in 2015. In 2017, he was inducted into the Armed Forces Skeet Association Hall of Fame as a General Ken Pletcher Award recipient.
John lived for many decades in Anchorage, Alaska, initially in 1954 before it was a state, arriving via military ship at the Port of Valdez. He was also an avid fisherman and hunter. He provided many meals of moose, caribou, salmon and halibut for his family.
John lived a big life right up to the end! Whether he was choosing to hike a rough mountain trail in North Carolina at age 89 with his kids, grands and great-grands or vacationing at the beach, or on a cruise ship with his adult children, he was up to the challenge. He leaves a big hole in our lives and the lives of many people he has befriended over his ninety years of living.
John leaves behind his four children, Pamela Ulsher (Harold Tripp), John M. Ulsher (Susan), LTC, USA (Retired), Andy Ulsher (Joan) and Susie Llewellyn; six grandchildren; and five great grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Andrew (Butch) Ulsher and sister Denise VanDusen.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 53 years, Joyce; his parents Andrew and Mabel Ulsher; his brother, Bruce Ulsher; and his sisters Katherine (Molly) Gill, Beverly Jessop, Arla Gasser and Lorna Barry.
We welcome all friends and family to join us Feb. 23, 9 to 10 a.m., at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery pavilion, 1520 Harry Wurzbach Road in San Antonio for a full military honors ceremony and Celebration of Life event.
