John Robert Suttles

John slipped and fell from his big rig truck Thursday afternoon, May 6, and was brought to Cedars Sinai ER with massive head trauma. John was unconscious from the moment of his accident until he passed away at 7:30 a.m.

John was born in Connersville, Indiana on April 7, 1946 to Orville and Florence Suttles. He was the youngest of four children.

In 1955 the Suttles family moved from Indiana to Whittier California when John was nine years old. Two years later the family cut a new road in Riverside California and moved a home purchased by the father for $200.00 to 16029 Suttles Drive.

In August 1964, John, a junior at Ramona High School, decided to leave home at the age of 18 to enlist with the U.S. Marine Corps to fight in Viet Nam. After his graduation at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, John was sent to South Viet Nam.

In August 1965, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines were among the first Marines to land at the First Big Battle in Chu Lai. Prior to jumping out of the helicopter, John was told that his life expectancy after hitting the ground would be 20 seconds. John jumped, broke his leg and began fighting the Viet Cong.

At 19 years old, Pfc. John appealed to his family and friends back home in Riverside to send medical supplies for South Viet Nam villagers. Multiple shipments, totaling thousands of dollars’ worth of medical supplies, were collected by John’s family, friends, churches and other local community organizations.

John’s humanitarian effort, called the “Back Our Boys” project, aided hundreds of villagers with antibiotics, medicines and small bandages. John’s special interest also made the local newspaper back home. John’s letter of gratitude was reported. “It makes my fellow Marines and myself very proud to know that there are citizens of America who agree with what we are doing here.”

John spent the last six months of his service in a Philadelphia VA hospital after a bullet hit and grazed his head in Viet Nam on December 3, 1967. John was honorably discharged with the rank of Corporal in August 2, 1968 after serving four years as a Marine. Semper Fi.

John married Jackie Taylor September 2, 1967 and started his family in Fremont California. They had two children, son Shawn (born September 6, 1968) and daughter Lanette (born July 21, 1970). John began driving commercial trucks in his mid-twenties to provide for his family.

John could drive anything, haul anything and pass through anything. And he did over the span of 40 years behind the wheel. John once even guided a tractor trailer down the Grapevine (near Bakersfield, CA) with failed brakes. The passenger in the cab with John that day was a new trainee who never reported back to work. As for Dad, he kept on trucking.

John had estimated recently that he’d put over seven million miles behind the wheel.

John moved his family a small number of times as the economy and trucking companies changed. In the early eighties, John and his family were homeless for a brief period in Orange County California. John’s family recognized his faithfulness, love and provision for them during this time. John encouraged and held his family strong and believed that the Lord would lead them.

And He did.

John always believed.

John’s daughter and son-in-law Bob Leon gave him three grandkids, Harrison (born June 22, 1996), Isabelle (born June 25, 1998) and Lindsey (born January 12, 2001). John loved his grandkids so much that he moved across the street from them. John walked across the street every day that he was home during the last year of his life.

It was the last ten years of John’s life that his family noticed he was the happiest they’d ever seen him behind the wheel. He was now driving for Teamster Local 399. His new career put him in good company with a wonderful, extended family of brothers and sisters. Brother John made many friends and some very close friendships in 399.

John’s passions in life were lived deeper than words here could ever hope to express. It is better to ask anyone that knew John to describe him for you. For those of us that knew John well over the years, it is not difficult to reflect upon and remember John’s character, faithfulness and his huge, beautiful heart.

John’s life achievements were many, his family and friends. John’s grown kids and grandkids were the cornerstone of his life. He proved it every day with bear hugs, phone calls, long drives to visit, freshly baked cookie bars and his overall perfect attendance in their lives. John’s friends simply received the same treatment.

John, divorced, is survived by his three siblings, Berdenia Broes, Juanita Corbett and Jack Suttles; son Shawn Suttles, son-in-law Bob Leon and daughter Lanette Leon; grandkids Harrison Leon, Isabelle Leon and Lindsey Leon.

God bless the U.S. Marines, and all of our armed forces, serving at home and abroad, and God bless the Teamsters Local 399 now banded together in loving memory of John.