John F. Kahoe

CWO -3 John F. “Gunner” Kahoe USN (Ret) passed away on December 26th, 2020 in Norman, Oklahoma. He passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side. He was preceded in death by his father, Timothy H. Kahoe. He is survived by his wife, Janice K. (Nee) Schader Kahoe, of the home; Sean P. Kahoe, wife Niki, grandson Timothy John, granddaughter Madeleine Grace, and great-grandson Stetson of Kansas City, MO; son, Todd A. Kahoe of Norman, OK; mother, Margaret E. (Nee) Scarrott Kahoe of Norman, OK; sister, Carol O’Bryan, husband, Tony of Norman, OK; Sam Tennent, Plano, TX; numerous nieces and nephews and a host of other family and friends.
John was born September 15, 1944 in Cheltenham, England and came to the USA in May of 1946. The family lived in Pauls Valley, OK for 3 years before moving to Norman, OK. It was here at St. Joseph’s Catholic School that he met Janice Schader in the 1st grade and they became 1st grade sweethearts. He graduated from St. Gregory’s High School in 1962 and soon after enlisted in the Navy. While stationed at Treasure Island he proposed to Janice and they were married on October 2, 1966. They were married for 54 wonderful years and the Navy allowed them to live in some of the world’s most beautiful locations, like Honolulu, Hawaii; Rota, Spain; and Bremerton, Washington. He served his country on active duty with the US Navy for 8 years, before transitioning to the Navy Reserve for 17 years, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer “Gunner” in 1987.
John began his career as an electrician and was a member of IBEW Local 1141 from 1971 until his retirement in 2006. In 1980, he started working at the General Motors plant in Oklahoma City until he retired in 2006 when the plant closed, with 26 years of dedicated service.
During his retirement, John looked forward to his weekly breakfast gatherings with all of his “coffee buddies”. He was an avid reader of all books, and a devoted daily crossword puzzle and Suduko master, and made sure all his friends had ample emails to read. He loved the outdoors where he enjoyed fishing on the Blue River and was an avid hunter. He enjoyed watching all sporting events with his oldest son, Sean and loved spending time at the gun range perfecting his shooting skills with his youngest son Todd, and numerous friends.
John was a man of integrity and was a faithful friend to many. He was very generous with his time, talents, and resources and would not hesitate to help anyone in need. This same generosity was offered to him by a host of nurses and physicians during the end of his life. The family would like to thank Dr. Thomas Merrill, Dr. Shari Jones, and Dr. Charles Lackey, for the loving care they gave John this past year, and LifeSpring Care for the loving care they showed him in his time of greatest need. John was a proud American and proud to have served his country honorably. All who know John, now know his engines are running perfectly at “40 Knots and No Smoke”!
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the charity of your choice.