John Gordon Brockman, 87, passed away peacefully surrounded by loving family members on April 24th, 2024, in Lancaster, CA.
John was born in Bishop, CA on June 23, 1936. He attended Bishop schools through high school and worked at the Texaco gas station. He always spoke fondly of his boss John Manterola. His father, Frank Brockman, owned the Packard dealership in Bishop and John told stories of driving trade-in cars to high school and impressing the girls.
He joined the Navy at the age of eighteen and was assigned to the USS Boxer and then the USS Hornet. He served from 1954-1958, mostly in the North Pacific. Many of his Navy stories involved practical jokes (the memorable shaving cream incident comes to mind).
Shortly after his service in the Navy, he met his future wife Genrose (Genny) in Oakland, CA at a boarding house where they both resided for a short time. When Genny decided to go back home to Nebraska, John offered to drive her there, and as the story goes “he just stayed.” His persistence paid off and they were married in October 1959. The newlyweds returned to Bishop where John worked for Imperial Gas Company (Rock Gas). In 1964 he started working for Union Carbide. John and Genny (with their daughters Karene and Nancy) first lived in Scheelite (near the mill and mine), and then moved to Rovana. John trained to be an electrician and spent the last ten of his twenty years there as the “Lampman,” keeping all the miners’ lamps in good working order every day. After retiring in 1985, he went on to get his electrical contractor’s license and ran a small business in Bishop. Later he proudly took a civilian position at China Lake Naval Weapons Center in Ridgecrest. Somehow, he found a way to come back to Bishop on weekends to build his house on Mill Creek Road in Round Valley. In December 1999, he retired to live there full-time where he enjoyed the daily view of Mt. Tom.
John was a devoted husband and extremely proud of his five children. He enjoyed spending time with family and driving cars (like the ’53 Packard, the ’79 Thunderbird and the red ’99 Mazda pickup with flames down the sides). He was an excellent stream fisherman and loved brookies. He had an amazing ability to fix things and assisted stranded motorists wherever he found them. He loved bigger dogs and brought home many “rescues” over the years.
John will be remembered most for his devotion to family, his generous heart towards anyone in need, his sense of humor and a devilish grin. While he lived a simple life, he was wealthy in the things that mattered most to him.
John is survived by his wife of 64 years, Genrose; sister Laura Gouchenour of Boise, ID; daughters – Karene (Eric) of Issaquah, WA; Nancy (Jerry) of Quincy, CA; Angela (Scott) of Rogers, MN; Sandra (Mark) of Leona Valley, CA; son – Frank (Mimi) of Folsom, CA; grandchildren – Erin (Brendan), Nathan, Justin (Stacey), Allison (Jack), Cory (Brooke), Bradley (Brittney), Beth (Bryant), Joanna (Jonah), Jonathan (Patricia), Duane (Esther), and Danika; great grandchildren – Addison, Ryan, Emerson, Delphine, Giselle, Lucette, Mavis, Brian, Brandon and Eleanor; nephew – Robert; nieces – Pamela, Linda, Cindy and Lisa.
John was preceded in death by his parents Frank and Edith Brockman, sister Ladean Parent, and nephew Larry Gouchenour Jr.
A memorial service for John will take place at 10:00 am on Saturday, May 4th in the chapel at Brune Mortuary, immediately followed by the graveside ceremony at East Line Street Cemetery. After that, lunch will be served at Grace Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall. All are welcome.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Bishop Union High School Shop Class or the Big Pine Animal Shelter. They would also like to express their sincere gratitude to all of John’s physicians and caregivers in Bishop and the Antelope Valley.
