Lake Almanor Country Club announces, with great sadness, the passing of one of the club’s most beloved members. John William Bottomley passed away Nov. 15 after a brief illness, at the age of 102 years and 5 months old. His daughter Terianne and son John Jr. were with him by his side. John had lived in the country club for over 40 years where he built his home on Lassen View Drive with his wife Betty Bottomley.
John was a veteran who served as a corporal in the Army Air Corps in World War II. He was honored by the Almanor Fishing Association’s Veterans Day barbecue and Folds of Honor for several years. To LACC’s knowledge, he was the oldest WWII veteran from this area.
John was still living by himself in his own home, getting around using his walker and was as sharp as a tack right up until the end, said LACC. His daughter Terianne and her sidekick Jim moved to the area from Florida to care for him. They lived a stone’s throw away from him on Lassen View Drive.
Over the last 10 years, Terianne spent every evening with him, having dinner, playing games and watching their favorite TV shows. There were many, many days of rides in his ‘57 Chevy Bel Air golf cart around the club and checking out sunsets before dinner. Also, over the years, they enjoyed many field trips around the lake, up to Lassen, visiting Burney Falls and lots of other adventures in the area.
Many locals knew John from his dance moves in his wheelchair on the dance floor at all the events, including the Saturday night bandshell concerts. He also led the children’s flag parades at the Fourth of July bandshell celebrations and always received a lot of attention when driving his ‘57 Chevy Bel Air in the Fourth of July golf cart parades.
“If you knew John, you loved him,” said LACC. “He was an anomaly. You could never believe he was 102. He was so full of life and always had a joke or an interesting story to tell. He will be missed by all the thousands who met him over the years.
“RIP John W. Bottomley. You’ve had a great run.”