John B. McDonough

July 5, 1931 - January 5, 2021

John McDonough was born in Bergen Beach Brooklyn, NY on July 5, 1931. He was the son of Michael McDonough and Ruth Loomis and the 6th of 7 surviving children. His mother when John was 7 years old. When he was 15 years old in his Sophomore year of high school, his father signed him out of school when he discovered John was working instead of attending classes. John later obtained a GED diploma in 1979. John had many jobs, from working with a plumber, an electrician, painter/ wallpaper hanger, and for a lumber company. He was drafted into the United States Army during the Korean War, and he served his time working in the motor pool at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. When he returned to Brooklyn after his service, he and his middle brother worked together as roofing and siding contractors. In 1962 his oldest brother helped him get a job working at Toms River Chemical, a chemical company in Toms River, NJ, which was later purchased by Ciba Geigy Corporation. John worked for Ciba Geigy for 27 years before he retired. John was married to Gloria Buck on June 20, 1953. Gloria died on November 11, 2002. He had one daughter Kathleen, who works as a nurse at UAB Hospital. His grandson John Clayton is a First Lieutenant in the United States Army. John moved to Alabama with his daughter and her family in May 2012. He attended the Clay Senior Center until 2016. He died at home on January 5, 2021.