John S. Fehrman

Longtime Plumas County resident John Steven Fehrman passed unexpectedly in the early morning hours of Sept. 18, 2018 at Plumas District Hospital in Quincy.

John was born Sept. 11, 1952, in Talmage, California, to Edmund and Edith (Adkins) Fehrman. He was raised in the Santa Rosa area where he attended elementary school and was a graduate of St. Rose Catholic High School in 1970. He was a member of the Boy Scouts of America as a young boy and played Little League, which he loved.

John’s father Ed was a long-time pilot and shared his love of the sky with his young son early in his life, actually taking him for his first flight when John was only three months old.  John and his dad logged hundreds of hours each year at the airports in Santa Rosa. His dad taught him how to fly when John was quite young and he had his pilot’s license by the age of 15, even before he had his driver’s license.

After graduating high school (a feat accomplished with the help of the staff of nuns that tried valiantly to keep the young Mr. Fehrman in line), he went on to attend Santa Clara City College on a full-ride baseball scholarship, as he was a heck of a catcher! After his baseball coach was approached by some of his professors who had the audacity to complain that John could not just play ball, he actually needed to attend classes, John decided to enlist in the U.S. Army.

John entered the Army in January 1971 as the Viet Nam War was actually winding down a bit. When they realized this 19-year-old kid had a pilot’s license, he was immediately assigned to the Army Air Corp to be trained to fly Hueys.  John flew helicopters through three tours of duty and received his Honorable Discharge in January 1975.

He returned to California after his discharge and became engaged to a pretty young lady, Kathy Johnson of Santa Rosa, whom he’d been communicating with through letters during his tour of duty. They married on Oct. 3, 1976.

John decided to pursue becoming a funeral director. He often joked that it wasn’t because he felt it was his calling; it was because he figured he could accomplish getting the most education and a career in the least amount of time, as he still wasn’t crazy about being a student!

So off to the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science he went, with Kathy’s loving support, while he worked as an apprentice for $250 per month.  When he graduated they relocated to Salinas so he could complete his apprenticeship.

The young couple soon discovered they were expecting their first child, so they began their quest to find a funeral business that they could afford with their limited funds. They were told about the availability of three small funeral homes in Greenville, Chester, and Westwood. John and Kathy flew to Chester and toured the three sites, and although Kathy was reluctant to make such a radical lifestyle change, she eventually agreed that it was their best option. Escrow papers were actually signed on the very day that Kathy gave birth to their son, Steven, in March 1978.

After relocating to Greenville, John and Kathy worked diligently to make a success of their business, both working long hours, sometime around the clock. They were blessed with two more children, daughters Nicole and Ashley.  The family moved to Quincy in 1989 after purchasing Anderson’s Funeral Home.

They raised their kids and grew their business with hard work, dedication and many sacrifices of personal and family time. Their business is very demanding — open 24/7, 365 days per year — which John continued to do until the day he passed, as had Kathy who passed in March 2013.

John was a long-time member of Rotary, joining the Westwood—Lake Almanor Club when he was 24. He recently became a member of the Quincy Club. He was a volunteer for the Greenville Fire Department and their ambulance driver before the days of EMTs. He served on the Indian Valley Hospital Board and was a staunch supporter of VICA (Vocational Industrial Club of America). He and Kathy gave financial support to students graduating from QHS towards their trade school endeavors. He was also an avid supporter at the annual Junior Livestock Auctions every year during the fair. For many years John and his son Steve enjoyed a shared passion for racing, beginning with 4-wheelers and on to 410 sprint cars.

John was a dedicated supported of Sierra Hospice and hospice care in general, serving as their president for nine years.

On June 6, 2014, John married a longtime friend he met through Sierra Hospice, Karron White of Chester, and she joined him in his Quincy home where she supported him in life and his business efforts.

His first wife Kathy, his parents and his sister, Julie Fehrman, predeceased him. He is survived by his loving wife Karron Fehrmann of Quincy, son, Steven (wife, Jennifer) Fehrmann of Grass Valley, daughter, Nicole (husband, Jed) Taborski, and daughter, Ashley Fehrmann all of Santa Rosa.

The three bright lights of his life, his grandsons, Carter and Jackson Taborski and Colin Fehrmann and numerous nieces and nephews, also survive him.

 Surviving siblings, Paul (wife, Lynn) Fehrman of Santa Rosa, sisters Marcene Fehrman of Arizona and Micheala (husband, Tim) of North Dakota and brother Eddie Fehrman of Colorado.

(Okay, we should explain the difference in the spelling of the last name. Seems John’s grandfather dropped the second ‘n’ after moving to the U.S. from Germany. John’s dad, John and his siblings went with the shorter version and it wasn’t until a few generations later the second ‘n’ was added back to Fehrmann).

A Rosary will be held Friday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. at St. John’s Catholic Church in Quincy. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held the next day, Saturday, Oct. 6 at 11 a.m., at St. John’s.

Following Mass, a Celebration of Life will take place at 1 p.m. at the Plumas County Fairgrounds in Quincy, and folks are encouraged to attend that more informal event, although they are welcome at the Mass.

Thank you is simply not enough to say to the many people that have supported this family through these very sad days since his passing. Our hearts are full with the love and kindness folks in Plumas and Lassen County are blessing us with.