John S Sapienza

John S Sapienza, 95, passed away on 15 June 2002 at Edgewood Aspen Wind in Cheyenne.
John was born in St Louis to immigrant parents from the Catania region of Sicily. His mother died when he was a teenager and his father later. At age 16, John quit school, lied about his age and enlisted in the United States Navy, serving as a cook aboard the USS Wilkes with combat duty in the Pacific area of operations. Of particular note on this phase of his life, John never learned to swim, even though the training regimen included tossing him off the fantail of the ship. To the day he died, he couldn’t swim.
Following his stint in the Navy, John enlisted in the Army Air Corps (which later became the US Air Force) and was stationed in Texas where he met and married Fern. He was then assigned to Warren Air Force Base where he remained until leaving the service in 1953. After he left active duty, John entered the Wyoming Air National Guard, eventually retiring from there as an E-8 in the Maintenance Squadron. For the next few years, John moved from job to job, running restaurants, selling insurance, and sorting mail on trains. At the urging of Fern, he decided that he needed to get a college degree. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Wyoming in 1964, and he taught fifth grade until 1987. John ultimately earned his Masters + 30 degree and was a greatly loved teacher.
Following his retirement from teaching, John continued to contribute to the community through volunteering. He and Fern could often be seen at the Warren AFB Pharmacy assisting there. John also taught the 55-Alive program, teaching safe driving skills to Seniors. John and Fern traveled the United States in their beloved motor home until he was nearly 90, a passion he continued to speak of until his death.
John was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Fern Hegler Sapienza in 2017.
John is survived by one sister, Ann Rudolph of Decatur Illinois; his children, John (Carol) Sapienza of Brunswick Maryland, Lynn (Tim) Olsen of Eugene Oregon, Jerral (Jennifer) Sapienza of Portland Oregon, and Laurie Sapienza of Cheyenne. He also has three grandsons, one granddaughter and three great grandsons.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Davis Hospice Center.
A Memorial Service will be Wednesday, June 22, at 2:00 p.m. at Wiederspahn-Radomsky Chapel.