Obituary of John James Kalat
On April 19, 2020, John Kalat passed away from colon cancer at age 71. He was born April 9, 1949, in Chicago, Illinois. He joined the United States Army, serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. His first tour was with the 57th Transportation Battalion in Cam Ranh Bay, Danang, Gia Le, Dong Ha, Quang Tri and Wonder Beach. The second tour was with the 128th Transportation Command in Cam Ranh Bay.
After he was discharged from the service, John moved to Washington State, where he started a family and a career working for the State of Washington in Olympia. After retirement, John enjoyed spending time with the grandkids. He also enjoyed volunteering at the VFW Post 318, where he was a member of the color guard and honor guard, and served as the post adjutant for many years.
John is survived by his wife, Wendy; children, Anna (Will Witherspoon) Kalat, Luke (Justin Connor) Kalat, and William (Megan) Goodwin; grandchildren, Fletcher, Elliot, Emily and Colin; sisters, Janet (Bob) Oblon and Karen Kaempf; and ex-wife, Laura Neal.
A graveside service will be held at Tahoma National Cemetery when gatherings are permitted.
In lieu of flowers, John would appreciate a donation to the United Service Organization by clicking HERE.
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