John Michael Jung

DOWNEY - John Michael Jung was 68 years old when he passed away on Saturday, April 24, 2010 in his Downey home after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisc. June 2, 1941, and moved to CA with his parents Hans and Genevieve Jung at three months old. John had no siblings and he was the apple of their eyes.He was educated in LA schools and graduated from Pepperdine College and became a teacher at State Street Elementary School in South Gate, CA. The he met and married Shirley Hughes, his wife of 44 years. John taught fifth and sixth grades staying at the same school along his wife for over 30 years. Many of his colleagues and friends will remember him as a great talker around the lunch table and as an inspiration to other teachers. He became a mentor teacher who helped train and support many new teachers who have become exceptional educators themselves. After retirement John was happy to be out and about substituting for Downey Unified School District and mixing with students, teachers, administrators, and staff. In recent years, John was also quite a hobby/business man. For the last 30 years he raised waterlilies and sold them to specialty garden shops all across the Los Angeles and even San Diego area. John taught Kent to be very interested in tropical fish and Lionel electric trains. But waterlilies weren't his only interest. He and his wife were world travelers. If you ask their children, Janine Mendenhall and Kent Jung, they will tell you that it all started when they were very young. Nearly every summer the family visited every state in the country, and when a car wouldn't get John and his family where they wanted to go, they used a ship. John led his family on cruise adventures to Alaska, the Bahamas, and through the Panama Canal. After Janine and Kent married and started their own families, John and Shirley became world travelers and were gone on cruises for months at a time. They traveled together and later with friends around the entire globe on ships like the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the new Quenn Mary 2. John is survived by his wife Shirley, daughter Janin (Tom) Mendenhall and son, Kent (Karen) Jung and seven grandchildren: Todd, Scott, Katelyn, Jonathan, Lacey, Jonathan and Katy. He is also survived by his wife's brother and sisters, Ron Hughes, Judy Hughes and Jean Kilner of Houston, Tx. A memorial service in John's honor will be held at the Miller Mies Mortuary located at 11015 Downey Ave. in Downey, CA on May 5, 2010 at 3pm. There will be a reception following the memorial service. Please call ahead to reserve your space (562) 861-1274. John Jung was an active member of Southland Christian Church. In lieu of flowers, please send your donation to Southland Christian Church, 6200 King Ave. Bell, CA. 90201.

********** Published: April 30, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 2