John, born “Johannes” Doornewaard, age 76, was born to his parents, Jacob and Patricia, in the town of Wijhe, The Netherlands.
   John was the fifth of six children, and is survived by his sisters Johanna Carvahlo of Modesto and Cobie Hoogeveen of Manteca.
   He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Gerrit, and sisters Henrietta Hartkamp, and Hattie Woudstra.
   Life in Holland was very rough during WWII, but the family managed to survive. They were also able to help many people who had less than them, including the Jewish. John’s  mother, Patricia,  was known for her kindness and generosity to the townspeople and anyone needing food during the war. She always had a pot of stew made from scraps - to offer to people who had nothing.
   John grew up in Wijhe until the age of eight, and on March 26, 1948, the family set sail for America on the “Holland -America Nieuw Amsterdam”. Upon landing in New York, the family’s generosity was returned when Carl, a Jewish refugee that they had helped, greeted them and gave them a place to stay for a few days until they made way  to Missouri to work on a farm. Shortly after their stay in Missouri, they moved west to Ripon, CA.
   John attended Ripon Christian Schools, and at a young age started working on dairies and for dairy supply. While working in the dairy supply business in Modesto, he met Donna Vent, and they were married in 1960. They had three children together. John worked for over 20 years at Spreckels Sugar Company in Manteca as a shift supervisor. Later, he started his own insurance business in Manteca and Ripon. He was very involved in community events and organizations throughout most of his life.  John especially enjoyed traveling to tropical places, he was ALWAYS the life of the party, and always had a sense of humor about him. He told long exaggerated stories and could laugh and make a joke about anything.  John’s past few years have seen his health and memory fade away. In his time of needing expert nursing skills and quality care, it was his sister Cobie who opened her heart and her home, with her husband Edward, and managed to nurse him back to health. He is forever grateful for this time they had together.
   In addition to his sisters, John is survived by three children, Cara Duke, Greg, and Mike (Sarah) all of Modesto; four grandchildren, Christy, Jennifer, Isaac and Landon; three great-grandchildren, Jacob, Cadence and Alex and two step-daughters, Audra Coburn and Andrea Leik. John also had many nieces and nephews that he loved dearly, and to them he will always be known as uncle “Jopie”.
   A memorial service will be held on Friday, May 27th, at1pm at Allen Mortuary in Turlock, CA, a luncheon will follow.

Ripon
Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
Monday, May 23, 2016