John Henry Hartranft, Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt.), USAF Retired, a resident of Albuquerque since 1971, age 79 years, died Saturday, July 13, 2002 at the Ladera Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
He was born November 22, 1922 in Conyngham, Pennsylvania, son of Edna Jane Santee and Eugene Hartranft. He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters. He is survived by his wife, Rosaline; two children, Jane Malinda Kemp, her husband, John of Waco, Texas; son, Dwayne Michael Hartranft and his wife, Maria of Albuquerque; two grandchildren, David Christopher and James Matthew of Waco, Texas.
John entered the military service in 1943, upon graduation from Mansfield State Teachers College, and served in the South Pacific Theater of Operations for 20 months as a radio operator during World War II. In the early 1950's he came to Albuquerque to reenlist in the Nuclear Special Weapons field of the USAF and was stationed at Sandia Base before it became Sandia National Laboratories.
It was then he fell in love with the Land of Enchantment and vowed to return when he retired. From Sandia Base he was stationed at Deep Creek Station near Spokane, Washington for 12 years where they were a number of missile silos. From there he spent three years at Sembach Air Base in southern Germany where he was appointed as liaison between the military and the civilian communities. Upon returning to the States he spent two years at Forbes Air Force Base, Topeka, Kansas, as a First Sergeant before retiring to Albuquerque in 1971. He worked in the security field for a number of years in the Albuquerque area.
He was an active member of the Central United Methodist Church, the Partnership Class, and the Methodist Men's Bowling League. He was a long time delivery man for Meals on Wheels; donated more than eight gallons of blood; and participated in several studies for the Aged. Cremation has taken place.