Dr. John Thomas Gorman Jr.

Dr. John T. Gorman Jr.

January 9, 1924 – March 3, 2018

Dr. John T. Gorman Jr. of Huntington Beach passed away
on March 3, 2018. He was 94. 

John was born January 9, 1924 in Lowell, Massachusetts. He was raised in the town Tweksbury, MA. At the age of 19, after one year of college at Boston College, he was drafted into US Navy for action in World War II. The first action he saw was on June 6, 1944; D-Day, in Normandy. He was a Hospital Corpsman assigned to a Landing Ship Transport (LST) and landed with the Canadian Military on Juno Beach where he saw heavy action.

After serving in Europe, he was reassigned as a Navy Corpsman to the US 5th Marine Regiment based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. There he trained with the 5th Marines for beach landings that were to occur in the Pacific Arena.

On February 19, 1945 he was packed into a ship with numerous other soldiers of the 5th Marines. He and thousands of others landed on the sands of Iwo Jima that morning in order to secure the island. On his 19th day on the island, John suffered serious and permanent injuries when a grenade exploded near his position. He was subsequently evacuated to the island of Guam. He was awarded the Purple Heart and discharged from the military in 1946.

After the war, John finished his studies at Boston College. After graduation, he applied to Georgetown University’s medical program in order to be trained as a doctor. He graduated from that program and continued his residency at Los Angeles County – University of Southern California (LAC-USC) hospital.

He became a permanent resident physician at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Long Beach, specializing in Nephrology, and had an important role in setting up the fledgling dialysis department at the hospital.  During his career, he also taught classes at the University of California, Irvine Medical. Just shy of 40 years in residence, Dr. John T. Gorman Jr. hung up his stethoscope and retired from the Ambulatory Care section of the Long Beach VA Hospital.

An avid golfer until recently, John could be found every weekend at the Mile Square Golf Course in Fountain Valley. He was also a long time member of the congregation at Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church, he was also a member of the Knights of Columbus as well as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

He is survived by his wife, Cecelia, of 55 years; his
four children; Steven, Tim, Michael, and Kathy, and his six grandchildren; Andrew, Kelsey, Kelly, Jamie, Nathan, and Tori.

We would like to thank the staff at Golden Care in Westminster, CA. For 2 plus years the staff there provided very dedicated, personal and loving care for my father. We want to thank Lorna, Carol and her daughter Emma for the wonderful care they provided my father and the peace of mind that they provided my family. I know you miss him, and we will miss you also.

A private graveside service will be held March 16, 2018, from 10:15am to 10:45 am at the Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd. Riverside, California 92518.

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