John L. Grasse, W6WFG SK SK December 27, 2015 John Lee Grasse was born Jackly Flamhaft in Sheepshead Bay, Long Island, New York, at the Birthnigh Hospital to Charlotte (Claire) Anne Ellenbecker, then 19 years of age, and Samuel Chester Flamhaft (age 28) in the year 1913. The family lived in Leonia, New Jersey. After a year, his parents separated and he lived at first with his father's parents and his father's brother in Brooklyn, and then he lived with Samuel Flamhaft in Matawan, N.J. When he was eight years old the court granted custody to Claire, whom apparently he had not seen for some time, and from then on he lived with his mother. They moved to Brooklyn, where they lived on the Lower East Side on Hester Street. When John was about 12, his mother moved back to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where they lived first in a rented room in a house owned by a Mrs. Lowe on Center street, and then with John's Grandfather, John N. Ellenbecker. Mr. Ellenbecker was owner of the newspaper the Zietung, and for a while was the manager/editor both the Amerika and the Zietung. John had fond memories of going to work with Grandpa Ellenbecker at the print shop on Center Avenue. In Sheboygan Claire met and married Alfred Grasse, (Jan. 21,1925) and they eventually moved up to Marinette, where they lived at 1119 Carney Boulevard. Alfred had made the move to open a new gas station for the Grasse Bros Oil Company, of which he was a co-founder and partner with his brother, Louis. John went to three years of high school in Marinette, where he was valedictorian of his class, and then the family moved back to Sheboygan where John finished his last year of High School in 1931. His adopted father's eighteenth birthday gift was the pronouncement that John was now on his own, despite the fact that the great depression had begun. "My birthday gift to you is the whole world; go make your way in it," John often remembered him saying. Alfred was apparently disappointed that his nephew, Ted Grasse was poised to take over the famely oil business, rather than his own progeny. Not one to be discouraged, John set his sights on the state college in Plattville, Wisconsin, to become a Mining Engineer. His Maternal Grandfather's brother, Henry Ellenbecker, an assembly man in Wasau, used his connections to set John up with a job and place to stay in Plattville. John often commented how grateful he was to his great uncle for these opportunities. John chose Mining Engineering because he had a love for nature and for rocks, and because that was how President Roosevelt, whom he admired, started out. This was the bottom of the depression. John worked one job in a restaurant where he was paid in meals, and had another job as a projectionist to pay for his rent. Fortunately the first three years of tuition at the state university were free for residents. However, Wisconsin School of Mines required that you finish the last year of your degree at an out-of-state school, which cost money. These circumstances and a new family - John met his first wife, then Florence Francois, at the Miner's Prom at WSM and they had a new baby named Joan - prevented John from finishing the last year of college, but he kept on at his job as a projectionist in a local movie theatre. At this time he legally changed his name from Jackly Flamhaft to John Lee Grasse. During his college years John was also an avid Ham Radio builder and operator, constructing his own 500 watt HAM station, from which he communicated to operators around the globe both in voice and Morse code. This background in HAM radio would prove to be beneficial for John, for World War II brought him to Los Angeles to work for Lockheed as a radio flight technician. He would later bring out his wife and young daughter from Plattville to Los Angeles in a Model A Ford, and they would live in Silverlake, on Maltman, just off of Sunset Boulevard. John worked for Lockheed during most of the 40s, first as a radio flight technician, and later he was one of 28 engineers who designed - in record speed - the first US fighter jet (the "shooting star") as a part of the early classified military project known as "Skunk Works." This project was so top-secret, John did not even know what sort of craft he was working on. These war-time experiences sparked a desire in John to be able to fly his own aircraft. In the years that followed, John was able to realize his dream of becoming a licensed private pilot, flying his own Piper Cherokee (which he called "Bluebird") for many years. At war's end, John was in the perfect place to help birth a new industry called "television." A call from Lockheed friend, Al Brody, led him into a job as a camera-man for KLAC (1950), one of L.A.'s first independent television stations (the call letters KLAC stand for Los Angeles, California). KLAC was bought by Copley Press and took on the new call letters KCOP, channel 13. At KCOP he met and married his second wife, Mildred (1950). They had no children. From his post as a lowly camera-man, John eventually worked his way up through the ranks to the become the Director of Engineering and Industrial Relations at KCOP (1966). In 1969, John wondered if all of the equipment used to broadcast a live TV spot could be housed inside of one van. He designed and had built "a self contained color TV station on wheels" - thus creating the forerunner of what we now commonly think of as the news van. In 1951 John bought an empty plot of land that was part of an upcoming development in Monterey Park, making John one of the city's original residents. He eagerly watched (and filmed!) as his new home was being constructed, even building some of the interior details himself, and eventually landscaping (including extensive masonry) the entire backyard. In 1970 he met and married his third wife, Wanda, and in 1971 they had a daughter named Karen. In 1980, after working almost a decade (1940's) in Aerospace engineering, and more than three full decades in the radio and television industry (1950-1980), he finally entered retirement. Far from settling into a quiet life, John devoted his attention to recreational flying, bowling, and then to golf, often golfing 4 or more times per week. His many golf tournaments also meant frequent trips out of town, sometimes for the whole family (His Senior golf scores were usually in the 70's). He also took on a myriad of home improvement projects, including re-roofing the house by hand (and without power tools!). John has continued to be a participating member of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (John died just short of being a 65 year member of IBEW!) and a long time member of Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters. He has outlived 3 wives, has 2 daughters Joan McKelvey and Karyn Grasse Chen, 2 adult grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great-grandchild, and in 2014 he happily greeted his most recent grand-baby. On December 27th, 2015, John passed away very peacefully in his home, surrounded by family. He will be deeply missed and always fondly remembered. Services to be at Rose Hills, located in Whittier, CA, on Saturday, January 16. For Condolences, please contact Karysma7@gmail.com. Published in Sheboygan Press on Jan. 1, 2016 - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sh...&pid=177100584&fhid=8515#sthash.YMG3gRyc.dpuf
