John Robert McDougall left this earth for heaven October 6, 2014 in his daughter’s home, in Minden, Nevada. John was born in 1923 to Mary Duda and Clarence McDougall in Salinas, California. He attended Lincoln Elementary and was active in the Hancock Alligators all boys club.  Their greatest claim to fame was the knocking down of the neighborhood garbage cans.  He always said if it wasn’t for the Boy Scouts he would have been in malicious mischief. He made lifelong friends growing up in Salinas, which he kept until his death.  After graduating from Salinas High School. He attended the University Farm College, in Davis, California (now UCD) only to be waylaid by World War II.  He joined the Army Air Corp with his beloved cousin Glen McDougall.  He was trained as a flight and ground navigational systems instructor. His fondest military memory was when Hoagy Carmichael came to isolated Tonopah, Nevada to play for hours on his piano for very lonely GI’s.
   After the war John returned to the University Farm College, intending to graduate and farm with his best friend Tondre Alarid in Salinas.  That was not to be.  John became smitten with a spunky cheerleader, Agnes Rose Asbill. John received his diploma in 1950 and began employment for Spreckels Sugar Company in Woodland, California as a Field Man.  He married his “Wild Rose” in 1952 and immediately had three children, Kristie, Mitt and Lance. John was transferred in 1962 to the Manteca Plant as the Agricultural Superintendent until 1976 when he became the District Manager of the Woodland Plant. In 1979 he was transferred to the Mendota Plant as District Manager of the largest production area for Spreckels Sugar. He retired in 1988 and John and Agnes returned to Woodland to live out their remaining years.
   John was preceded in death by both his parents, Clarence and Mary, his sister and brother-in-law Dorothy and Gerald Shipsey, his wife, Agnes and his son, Mitt William.  John is survived by his son Lance McDougall of Granite Bay and his daughter Kristie (Andrew) Sickler of Minden, Nevada; grandchildren Scott (Wendy) Sickler, John Sickler, Kathryn (Steve) Strine and Andrea (Sean) Gorin; 10 ½ great grandchildren; and four nieces and three nephews.
   John will be remembered for his enthusiasm for his agricultural profession, his family and friends, sports, hunting and fishing and especially his garden.  He was a man who lived by his Boy Scout mottos and was a man of high integrity and exemplary leadership.
   Family and friends will be celebrating his life and legacy at Noon, Saturday, November 8, at Cracchiolo Hall, 1320 East Main, Woodland, California.

Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
Tuesday, October 28, 2014