John Robert Shirk

Bob was born on July 8, 1922. Bob and his older brother Russell were born and raised in Hutchinson, Kansas during the great depression. Their parents, Anna and Joseph, were divorced when Bob was seven and both sons and their mother worked hard to provide the bare necessities to sustain themselves during that difficult period of their lives. Bob worked after school and summers, first as a delivery boy, then as a grocery clerk. His wages contributed toward payment for groceries and other family necessities. Both boys were avid church members, attending Sunday school at the first Christian church and regular services at the first Methodist church, where they played in the church orchestra. Bob graduated from high school and attended junior college, hoping to enter the American Institute of Foreign Trade, but his intentions were thwarted by World War II. He enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve and was advised to complete his second year of college before reporting for duty. He entered the Naval Service on November 7, 1942 and served in the Naval Air Corps in the South Pacific Theatre for two years. Bob always wondered, and was grateful to God, for whatever divine decision spared his life, while many of his friends lost their lives during the war. His prayers were always for the less fortunate, and the hope that mankind would eventually recognize the futility of hate and oppression against each other. He was discharged in November 1945 and applied for employment with the Kansas Employment Security Division. He was employed as a manager of the Atchison office from 1946 until November 1953, when he resigned to move to California. Bob met Edna in 1955 and they were married in 1956. Their daughter Deanna was born the following year. Bob returned to college, attaining a degree in business administration from California State University Fullerton, and a secondary degree in government contract administration & purchasing management. He worked most of his life in the aerospace industry for such firms as Rockwell, Hughes and Lear Siegler. He retired twice, first from Rockwell then from Compositek Corporation. After his second retirement, he returned to work part-time at an Anaheim car auction. Edna passed away in November 2002. Bob is survived by his daughter Deanna, grandson Nick and fiancé Stephanie, granddaughter Courtney and husband Mike, and son in law Greg.