John Irvin Catron

John Irvin Catron passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 3, 2022 at the age of 78.

John was born August 20, 1944, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Johnie and Willa Catron.  He was the second eldest of their four children.  He graduated from Norwalk High School in 1962 and attended Cerritos College for welding and drafting classes.  He worked at North American Aviation for a short time, until he was drafted into the U.S. Army.  He worked in electronics repair for the 8th Army, 4th Maintenance Battalion, Company A, stationed in South Korea, and was honorably discharged in 1967. 

While in Korea, John met the love of his life, Insuk, and in September 1967, they were married.  They bought their first home in Norwalk, California, in 1970.  That same year, he began working as an oil refinery operator, starting with Gulf Oil Company.  In 1984 they moved to Riverside for a rural lifestyle, where he enjoyed his yardwork and gardening, as well as raising farm animals.  John was quite the DIY handyman, and was creative, too, building such things as the backyard hitching post, and bird and henhouses.  He took pride in their property, and cared for their numerous fruit trees and plants.  He gave almost every visitor to their home a welcoming tour of the yard. 

After working in the oil industry for 36 years, he took an early retirement from Chevron in 2006.  His retirement years were spent RV'ing with Insuk in their fifth wheel trailer, traveling throughout the North and Southwest.  He loved to go fishing and they took frequent trips to Bishop to catch trout.  He and Insuk also enjoyed going to Las Vegas, often taking short trips to gamble and eat at the buffet restaurants.

John is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Insuk, of Riverside; daughter Lo Ann of Las Vegas, NV; daughter Suzie and son-in-law Walker of San Marcos, CA; and daughter Christine of Broomfield, CO; his sister Pamela of Meridian, ID; sister-in-law Nell of Moreno Valley, CA; three grandsons, one granddaughter, and one great-granddaughter.  He is also survived by five nieces and one nephew.  He is preceded in death by his son John Christopher; brother Don; and sister Virginia.

Graveside service with military honors will be held at 1pm on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside, CA 92518. 

Reception to follow at the Catron family home at 16701 Washington St., Riverside, CA 92504.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John Irvin Catron, please visit our floral store.