Obituary of John Thomas Hutchison, Jr.

It is with immense sorrow and sadness that we announce the passing of our dearly loved John T. Hutchison at the age of 96. He was born on April 10, 1924 in Clifton Forge, Virginia, and departed from our lives on November 30, 2020 in Davie, Florida. John is a WWII and Korean War veteran. He is survived and will be deeply missed by his loving wife of 60 years Godeliva Gumbe-Hutchison, his adored daughters Carol Hutchison-Gumbe, Melanie Hutchison-Ramirez, Mercy Lore-Hutchison, his beloved son John T. Hutchison III, his daughter in-law Merry J. Muñiz, sons-in-law José Ramirez and Christopher Lore, his grandchildren Ricardo J. Ramírez-Hutchison, Geraldine A. Ramirez-Hutchison, Stephanie L. Hillebrand-Hutchison, Andrés J. Morales-Hutchison , Diana C. Hutchison, John T. Hutchison IV, Audrey Lore-Hutchison, his great granddaughter Camila V. Ramirez-Ramirez, his loving brother Scott Hutchison, and his always loved and dear nieces, nephews and godchildren. John proudly served his country in the US Navy for 20 years. He voluntarily enlisted into the U.S. Navy 7 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1942. He then became a member of the Underwater Demolition Team (UDT, also known as Frogmen) which later evolved into becoming the US Navy Seals. He served aboard the U.S.S. Blue, U.S.S. John S. McCain, USS Abbot, USS Bastion, and the USS Howard W. Gilmore. He trained in Bainbridge, Maryland and was later stationed at Oran, Africa; Oceanside, California; Guam; Dahlgren, Virginia; Washington, D.C., Adak, Alaska; Jacksonville, Florida and finally in San Juan, PR during the period of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 60’s. There he fell in love with Godeliva Gumbe, married her, had 4 children, and made Puerto Rico his permanent home. He later continued to work for the Navy for many decades as a civilian, bought a farm and literally lived happily ever after. John, or Hutch or Gung Ho, as so many called and knew him, was a man who clearly new what he wanted and always loved his country, his new adopted home of Puerto Rico, its people, adored all his family without limits, and was always a joy to be with, always offering you his humor, kindness, charm, love and relentless passion & commitment to all he met, while always leaving a mark and fond memory. He will never be forgotten and continued to be loved. His body will be in Repose on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 from 9:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. His burial will follow at 11:00 A.M. at the South Florida VA National Cemetery in Lake Worth, Florida, where he will be received by the U.S. Navy Honor Guard and laid to rest as the hero he was. Please keep The Hutchison family in your prayers and always keep John, our Gung Ho, in your hearts for all times. He loved us with every breath he took. In lieu of flowers, if you so wish, you can donate to the Navy Museum General Fund in his name, where there is preserved memorabilia of John’s Navy Underwater Demolition team, aka The Frogmen. You can do so by going to this link: https://www.navysealmuseum.org/support. The Hutchison family gives you their thanks in advance.