John Durell ’43

John died May 28, 2014, in Anaheim, Calif., after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for a number of years. He was a longtime resident and civic leader of Visalia, Calif.

John came to us from Blair Academy, where he played baseball. He left Princeton at the end of sophomore year and worked for Western Electric Co. After the attack on Pearl Harbor he joined the Army Air Force, and when our class graduated, he was a private first class. He served in a bomber squadron in England commanded by Jimmy Stewart ’32.

John’s business career was in the retail trade, first with Montgomery Ward and then with J.C. Penney. Later, he and his wife, Dottie, owned and operated The Merry-Go-Round, a children’s clothing store. It was during this time that he devoted a vast amount of time to giving back to the community.

He is survived by his son, Robert ’75, and daughter, Barbara.