John F. Rehm

John Francis Rehm flew away on February 19, 2021. He was 85 years old and lived at Blue Skies of Texas in San Antonio. His life was filled with adventures and experiences most people only dream of. He also taught his children important lessons, like blaming your farts on the dog, how to plan and execute an inexpensive and tightly efficient "combat vacation", and regular courses on how to fix "that thing we bought at the garage sale". He had a drive and intensity that never faded, and he applied high speed and maximum effort to many things including mowing the lawn and driving a car. His continuous drive to "push the outside of the envelope" earned him the pet name "Jesus John" which our mother blurted out many times during any given car ride.

John was born on November 25th, 1935 in Baltimore, MD during the Great Depression. One's youth shapes a person, and he learned to work hard, stretch every penny, and coax unnatural life out of material objects. As a youth he had simple pleasures, such as going down to the bakery to watch the newly invented bread slicing machine in action and arcing over speeding trains on a 40' rope swing.

He was an adrenaline junkie, of that there is no doubt. He made a life-long habit of finding the limits of what was possible. The exact date this turned from a hobby to a profession is unclear. Many say he fully transitioned to "Type A" when he did his first solo flight in a biplane in France at 16 years old, followed immediately by his aerobatic solo later that afternoon. Flying became a life-long passion that stayed with him the rest of his life.

He later became a USAF pilot, flying the F-105 Thunderchief in the Vietnam War. He did two combat tours in Vietnam from February to April 1966 and May to August 1967. He flew the F-105 as a strike pilot and as one of the "Ryan's Raiders" who flew two-seat F-105s modified to do the first all-weather night radar bombing missions. On June 16, 1967 he flew a mission for which he and his navigator Cal Markwood received the Silver Star. On August 3, John became the first Ryan's Raider pilot to complete 100 missions over North Vietnam.

While stationed at Kadena, John met his future wife Janet Van Aken, then a 24 year old Army brat on a blind date at the Kadena Officers Club. Dad was on nuclear alert response at the time, so all he had time to do was run in, say hi, and zoom back out. Despite that, they got married in May, 1967 in a military ceremony. Unfortunately at the reception his squadron commander told him he had to leave for his second combat tour the very next morning. Less than 12 hours later, he was on his way back to Vietnam.

John's military career spanned a total of 33 years and he dragged his family everywhere he could, most notably Osan, Korea, Austin, TX, and back to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan as his last tour of duty. He retired in 1987, returning to Austin TX and the family home. Oh wait, he didn't retire - one career wasn't enough for him. After a short stint as cable patrol pilot he joined the Texas Rehabilitation Commission in their Facilities department. After 22 years of dedicated service to the State of Texas, he retired again - for real this time!

John and Janet planned their move to the (Formerly known as) Air Force Village in San Antonio, TX along with Janet's parents Chet and Julia Van Aken. Sadly, John's wife of 44 years passed away before they could truly enjy retirement together. Besides his loving wife Janet, John is predeceased by his sister Marie and brother Fred.

He's survived by his sons Bill (Paula Ables) and James (Dani Gannon). John was a fantastic Grandpa to his grandchildren Ariana, Morgan, Trinity, Zoe, and Jett. We are pretty sure that he taught Jett how to blame farts on the dog. Please leave a picture or your favorite memory on his obituary page at https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/austin-tx/john-rehm-10065468. We'd also love it if you would tell us which of his jokes you actually thought were funny.

You can come say goodbye to John at Cook-Walden/Forest Oaks Funeral Home and Memorial Park with the Viewing on Sunday, February 28th at 12-3pm (limited occupancy) and Monday, March 1st at 2pm for the Graveside where he'll be laid to rest next to his wife. Weather permitting, we will go to Doc's BackYard afterward, sit outside, and tell stories about him.