John Raymond Trask (January 23, 1950 - March 01, 2016)

In loving memory of
John Raymond Trask
  • January 23, 1950
  • -
  • March 01, 2016

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Obituary

John R Trask, 66, New Smyrna Beach, FL passed away Tuesday, March 01, 2016 surrounded by his family.

To join us in remembering his life and the many blessings he shared in this world.

A Memorial Service will be Friday, March 4, 11:00am at Baldwin Brothers Heritage Place 1 North Causeway New Smyrna Beach FL 32169.  Reception to follow at the New Smyrna Beach Women’s Club, 403 Magnolia St, New Smyrna Beach, FL.

John was born in Bradley Maine.  He grew up in an area where most people knew each other and called each other by name.  He was the oldest boy of ten children.  At a young age John and his sister Connie spent a lot of time on their grandparents Millie and Grampie John’s farm, with their Aunts (who were close to their age) and built memories, learned important life lessons from the farm animals, and surrounding acres.  John went to high school with a class of about one hundred classmates and many of them still stay in touch today.  John loved his high school years and the unforgettable memories he created there.  He was a member of a leadership club at the YMCA and played football and soccer.

In 1968, John enlisted in the Army to avoid the draft and was recruited for the Army Security Agency, an unknown entity at the time.  Soon after he went off to Vietnam.  His time in Vietnam created lasting friendships and presented some difficult challenges that stayed with him throughout his life.  In Vietnam John worked as an Intercept Operator, was a member of the 335th Radio Research Company and when he returned to the states was a member of the 82nd Airborne.  John was very proud to be a Veteran.

John learned that helping other vets helped him to heal from his time in Vietnam and this became his passion.  He could often be seen stopping to engage other veterans of all ages, thank them for their service, offer them his support and rally the troops for their causes.  John also attended POW/MIA luncheons frequently with a local group of mostly WWII Veterans and was honored to call them his friends.

When John was young he dreamed of traveling the world and it is hard to know all the things John experienced in his life.  Although John loved to tell a good story, and maybe to embellish a little bit, he was often humble about the things he had accomplished and experienced in his life.

John earned his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland and Master’s Degree in Business Administration at Husson University.  His time at Husson was among his most cherished memories.  At Husson he made good friends, created lots of lasting memories, and worked to help GIs to use their veteran’s benefits to go to college.

Throughout John’s life John enjoyed many outdoor activities such as:  skiing, camping, fishing, hunting and four wheeling.  John loved the Abol Bridge campground area and the great state of Maine and spent a lot of time there.

John was married several times, had two children of his own, helped to raise seven other children and was a proud godfather for his niece, Julia.  John especially treasured being a Godfather.  John’s strong self and booming personality will surely have a great impact on these children for the rest of their lives.  John loved fully, and was never shy about expressing what was on his mind.  He loved to tell stories, to share adventures with others, and to help others.

In John’s work life he managed Power Plants, worked for the National Security Agency (NSA), sold Real Estate as a broker, built hotels, and traveled.  John lived in both England and Morocco during his time with NSA.

After retiring, John joined Rolling Thunder, an organization that is passionate in educating the public and increasing awareness about the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) issue and other injustices suffered by veterans.  John thrived in this organization and eventually became their president.  John’s service to other veterans was recently recognize when he earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award by the President of the United States in recognition and appreciation for his commitment to strengthen our nation through volunteer service.

John was a Yankee fan in a state that was known for supporting the Red Sox, a Giants fan, he loved NASCAR racing, Rolex Racing, watching the Tampa Bay Lighting, Golf, NCAA Baseball among other sports.  John loved racing and while living in England himself drove in Road Races.  Attending supporting events was a favorite pastime for John and sharing these events with family and friends added to his joy.

Lastly, John was a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast.  His motorcycle was like a trusted friend and provided him great solace through “Wind Therapy” as he called it.  John loved to attend Bike Week and Biketoberfest in Daytona Beach and recently was able to take a trip to Sturgis which was a bucket list item for John and he reveled in that trip.

He leaves to cherish his memory his mother Joyce Trask, wife Diane, children Julie (John) MacLelland and Jennifer (Terry) Kunz, step-children Kassandra Bumgarner, Ryan Bumgarner, siblings Connie Albanese, Byron Trask, Tim Trask, Keith “Skip” Trask, Bruce Trask, Robert Trask, Eric Trask, Betsy Brooks, Tracy Thompson, and four grandchildren Rylee Smith, Morgan Trask, Duncan Kunz and Carter Kunz and many other family members and friends.

Memorial donations are requested to FLoridaHostpialHospice.org or (Dreams for Veterans) at DreamFoundation.org.


Service

Location:
Baldwin Brothers Heritage Plac

Date & Time:
January 1, 1970 at 12:00 AM


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  1. Barbara Erhardt lit a candle:
    04 Mar 2016
    Lit since March 4, 2016 at 3:06:06 AM

  2. Anita Rollins lit a candle:
    04 Mar 2016
    Lit since March 4, 2016 at 3:35:33 AM

  3. Joseph and Karen Knapp lit a candle:
    03 Mar 2016
    Lit since March 3, 2016 at 3:22:55 PM

  4. Betsy Brooks posted an image:
    03 Mar 2016
    My big brother
    My big brother

  5. Randal West. HONOR, RELEASE, RETURN lit a candle:
    03 Mar 2016
    Lit since March 3, 2016 at 3:25:01 PM

  6. David & Debra Trask lit a candle:
    03 Mar 2016
    Lit since March 3, 2016 at 3:47:34 AM

  7. David & Debra Trask lit a candle:
    03 Mar 2016
    Lit since March 3, 2016 at 3:30:37 AM

  8. David & Debra Trask lit a candle:
    03 Mar 2016
    Lit since March 3, 2016 at 3:28:57 AM

  9. Fay Bennett says:
    02 Mar 2016
    May you now Rest in Peace, John. No more suffering. Thank you for all of your sacrifices for us Americans. You will be greatly missed. We at Rolling ThunderFL 8 will never forget you.

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