John Bumgarner

John Bumgarner, 62, of Upton, Wyoming and Anchorage, Alaska died on Jan. 28, 2018. He was born March 25, 1955, in Anchorage. John graduated from Service High School in 1973, then worked at Noble Mechanical, an Anchorage sheet metal business owned by his parents, William and Georgina Bumgarner. After William’s retirement in 1992, John operated the business with his brother, Warren. He was a lifetime member of Alaska Southcentral/Southeastern Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 23.

John married Catherine Johnson, and together they had one daughter, Tracy, in 1977. After they divorced, John married Laurie (Gochanour, Ratliff) Fleming in 1981, becoming step-father to Wendy Marie Ratliff. He was a skilled sheet metal worker and pilot. Together, he and Laurie — with the help of family and friends — built a cabin in the Alaska Bush. It was one of his favorite places. In 2010, John and Laurie bought land in Upton, Wyo., where they built their dream retirement home and began learning the business of cattle ranching from their many kind neighbors. They spent the following years between Wyoming and Alaska, where John was a tremendous help to his father-in-law, Boyd Gochanour and his wife Mary Ann. John’s family and friends said, “John was one of the most generous people you will ever meet. He would do anything to help his family, his neighbors and friends, and was a devoted husband to Laurie. He had a warm, witty sense of humor and was sure to make everyone laugh. John was always great with kids; he kept them giggling, and was a father figure to the children of family friends. He will be missed beyond words.”

Survivors include his wife, Laurie Bumgarner of Upton and Anchorage; daughters, Tracy Thompson and Wendy (Robert) Haverfield, both of Anchorage; brother, Warren (Cyndi) Bumgarner of Big Lake; sisters, Linda (John) Schwamm of Arizona and Lori (Mark) Haynes of Anchorage; father-in-law, Boyd (Mary Ann) Gochanour of Big Lake; mother-in-law, Donna Gochanour of Newcastle, Wyo.; brothers-in-law, Kevin Gochanour of Newcastle, and Randall (Dou) Gochanour of Wasilla; sister-in-law, Amy (Dan) Runestad of Custer, S.D.; aunt, Ruth (John) Swank of Oregon; uncles, Robert (Jane) Sullivan and Lyle (Kay) Sullivan, both of Californa, and Kenny Lancaster of Soldotna; grandchildren, Kandus (Garren) Lee, Jashawa Lamb, Kaeyln Barlow, Christopher Thompson and Kara Thompson, all of Anchorage; great-grandchildren, Presley Oxholm and Keilani Lee, both of Anchorage; and numerous nieces and nephews. John was preceded in death by his parents, William Carl and Georgina L. (Sullivan) Bumgarner; his birth parents, James and Joanie (Lancaster) Bumgarner; his half-sister, Jamee Bumgarner; uncle, Jack Bumgarner; aunts, Iris Bumgarner and Helen Fay; and grandparents, Noble and Alice Bumgarner, and George and Vera Sullivan.

Funeral Services are Feb. 10, 2018 at 1 p.m., at First United Methodist Church in Newcastle, with a reception following. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date in Alaska. In lieu of flowers, his family requests donations be made to St. Jude’s in John’s memory. Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis, S.D., handled the arrangements.