John G. Ibe
Businessman, Real Estate Developer, and WWII Veteran
December 18, 1921 - June 13, 2006
 John G. Ibe, 84, was born on December 18th, 1921 in Sheboygan Wisconsin. He went to parochial elementary school and Sheboygan Central High all in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
He served his apprenticeship as a tool and die maker at Charles School Machine Co. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin completing this apprenticeship in March, 1943. That same year he entered the U.S. Navy as an apprentice Seaman. John was a WWII combat Navy veteran who served aboard the USS Saint Lo CVE 63. He survived the sinking of his ship at the Battle of Leyte Gulf off Samar, Philippines on October 25, 1944. His was the first ship sunk by Japanese kamikaze pilots. On November 15, 1945, he was honorably discharged in Bremerton, Washington as a machinist mate 2/c to return to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and continue his trade as a tool and die maker.
In 1954 his family moved to San Diego, California continuing his career. In 1955 he founded Lamco, Inc, a tool and die company that included light manufacturing. The company grew from two employees to over three hundred. During his illustrious career, John contributed to the nuclear and commercial aircraft & missile industry over twenty years of expertise in design and manufacturing with many prominent projects for such clients as General Electric (DC10 jet engines) Westinghouse, McDonnell Douglas, Bechtel, and AeroJet General. In 1977 John sold his controlling interest in the company and today we are all flying on commercial jet airliners that John supplied machined parts for and we are all utilizing power in our homes supplied from nuclear power plants using parts from John and his company.
In 1978 he formed a father/ son real estate development and construction company. After 28 years, this firm has become a major national real estate company developing and managing over six million square feet of commercial property all across North America. Many of the projects were designed and built for the US government such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Homeland Security
John was a man with inspiration and passion. He had tremendous energy and fortitude. He was truly a role model for all who knew him and respected him. For someone as important to his community as John was, he was a humble man.
All his life John was dedicated to projects and events to honor his shipmates and all veterans. He was one of the founders of the Taffy III veterans group and for the past 13 years he has been the driving force in many charitable programs. Some of these in San Diego included the erection of the US Aircraft Carrier Memorial on Harbor drive, the Taffy III monument at the G Street Mall, the USS San Diego monument, and the Navy Homecoming statue. He chaired the commissioning of the USS Pearl Harbor and at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, 5 monuments were erected to forever memorialize the 894 men killed in action at the Battle if Leyete Gulf during WWII; as well as the installation of their outdoor chapel sound system which most importantly, sounds Taps at the close of every day. Task Unit 77.4.3, aka Taffy III, made the decision to sponsor a military tribute to Bob Hope which is nearing completion. John also had plans for a new National Veterans Cemetery in San Diego. He was looking forward to the challenge of raising millions of dollars to provide a chapel and numerous monuments and memorials for this new cemetery.
His legacy will always be remembered by his hard work, honesty, and overwhelming generosity. His love for family and friends was his priority in life. He was willing to help people in need and give everyone an opportunity in life. John has been married for 63 years to his loving wife Marie. In addition to his wife, survivors include daughter Sandra of El Cajon, his son Michael and daughter-in-law Linda of Rancho Santa Fe, four grandchildren, Mike Jr. of Dallas, Mindee of Carlsbad, Steve Jr. of Temecula, and Scott of Temecula. There are three great grandchildren; Wesley, Shane, and Taylor. He also leaves behind a sister Marie Heibing, a sister Emily Larsen, and a brother Adam.
Viewing will be at Greenwood Memorial & Mortuary on Sunday, June 18th 2006 from 4:00pm to 8:00 pm in the Salli Lynn Chapel. Memorial Service is scheduled for 12:00 noon on Monday, June 19th, 2006 in the Garden Chapel of the Greenwood Memorial & Mortuary.
In lieu of flowers, family members ask that donations in memory of John Ibe may be made to the Home of Guiding Hands at 1825 Gillespie Way, Suite 200, El Cajon, CA 92020. 619-938-2855.
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John G. Ibe, 84; machinist led war memorial efforts
By Jack Williams
Staff Writer, San Diego Union-Tribune
June 28, 2006
John G. Ibe's hobbies, as he called them, had all the trappings of second careers. When he sold the controlling interest in his aircraft parts manufacturing plant in 1977, he began looking for something to do part time to avoid boredom. “After sitting around for six months, he decided on real estate,” his son, Michael, said. “He called it a hobby.”
What began as a casual venture in partnership with his son turned into Western Devcon Inc., a development, construction and property management company that today employs more than 300 and includes clients from San Diego to New York. In his spare time, Mr. Ibe pursued a second hobby: spearheading or supporting campaigns to build military-related memorials.
As a survivor of the sinking of the escort carrier St. Lo in the pivotal Battle of Leyte Gulf in World War II, he took special pride in the dedication in 1996 of the Leyte Gulf Memorial monument on Harbor Drive. He was close to completing another project – a monument to honor Bob Hope for the late comedian's devotion to entertaining U.S. troops – when he was hospitalized with heart problems. Mr. Ibe died of cardiac arrest June 13 at Grossmont Hospital, his son said. He was 84.
“We're hoping to complete the Hope memorial by Oct. 25,” said Jack Yusen, who began collaborating with Mr. Ibe on the project more than six years ago. “We want to do it for John. It will be on prime waterfront land donated by the Port District right across from the USS Midway. It was John who urged that the memorial be in San Diego and contacted the Port District.”
Mr. Ibe's efforts in creating memorials stemmed from his role as vice president of the Task Force 77.4.3 Association, also known as Taffy III, a group of survivors and relatives of loved ones lost in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. During the past 13 years, Mr. Ibe was instrumental in creating the Aircraft Carrier Memorial and the USS San Diego monument in addition to the Leyte Gulf Memorial. He headed the commissioning of the dock landing ship Pearl Harbor at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, where five monuments were established to memorialize the 894 men killed in action at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He also rallied fellow veterans in a campaign to build a military cemetery on 327 acres at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station as an extension of Fort Rosecrans. If the plan receives the expected approval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Navy-owned Miramar site would start offering burials in late 2007.
The quintessential self-made man, Mr. Ibe achieved success in his two businesses with a ninth-grade education. Born Dec. 18, 1921, in Sheboygan, Wis., Mr. Ibe had a troubled childhood. His mother died when he was 7. His father later married a woman with six children, bringing the number of children in the household to 12. Mr. Ibe left home in his mid-teens during the Depression and parked cars for tips. A man whose car he parked, Connie Herman, introduced him to his daughter, Marie. The couple were married in 1941. After completing an apprenticeship in tool and die-making in Milwaukee, Mr. Ibe joined the Navy.
On Oct. 25, 1944, he was in the boiler room of the San Diego-based St. Lo when the ship became one of the first victims of a Japanese kamikaze attack. The plane crashed through the St. Lo's flight deck during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, setting off a fire and secondary explosions. A half-hour later, the ship sank and 126 crew members died. For three hours after the ship was hit, Mr. Ibe floated in murky, oily water in a life vest before being rescued.
After the war, Mr. Ibe worked for a machine shop in Milwaukee. Remembering the seductive climate of San Diego from his Navy days, he moved here in 1954 and found work at the Convair Division of General Dynamics. A year later, he and a partner invested $1,000 in a machine shop, which they opened in a one-car garage in La Mesa. Working at Convair at night and the machine shop during the day, he raised the money to buy equipment and saw his business grow.
Mr. Ibe bought out his partner, renamed the business Lamco Inc., and eventually expanded it to more than 300 employees with a sprawling manufacturing plant in El Cajon. By the time he sold his controlling interest, he was supplying parts to such clients as General Electric (for DC-10 jet engines), Westinghouse, McDonnell Douglas, Bechtel and AeroJet General.
Survivors include his wife, Marie; daughter, Sandra Sage of El Cajon; son Michael Ibe of Rancho Santa Fe; sisters, Marie Heibing of El Cajon and Emily Larsen of Milwaukee; brother, Adam Ibe of Phoenix; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
A memorial service was held June 19 in the Garden Chapel of Greenwood Mortuary.
Donations are suggested to the Home of Guiding Hands, 1825 Gillespie Way, Suite 200, El Cajon, CA 92020.
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Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune on 6/17/2006:
IBE, JOHN G. John G. Ibe, 84 Businessman, Real Estate Developer, and WWII Veteran John G. Ibe was born on December 18, 1921 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He went to parochial elementary school and Sheboygan Central High all in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He served his apprenticeship as a tool and die maker at Charles School Machine Co. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin completing this apprenticeship in March, 1943. That same year he entered the U.S. Navy as an apprentice Seaman.
John was a WWII combat Navy veteran who served aboard the USS Saint Lo CVE 63. He survived the sinking of his ship at the Battle of Leyte Gulf off Samar, Philippines on October 25, 1944. His was the first ship sunk by Japanese kamikaze pilots. On November 15, 1945, he was honorably discharged in Bremerton, Washington as a machinist mate 2/c to return to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and continue his trade as a tool and die maker.
In 1954 his family moved to San Diego, California continuing his career. In 1955 he founded Lamco, Inc., a tool and die company that included light manufacturing. The company grew from two employees to over three hundred. During his illustrious career, John contributed to the nuclear and commercial aircraft and missile industry over twenty years of expertise in design and manufacturing with many prominent projects for such clients as General Electric (DC10 jet engines) Westinghouse, McDonnell Douglas, Bechtel, and AeroJet General. In 1977 John sold his controlling interest in the company and today we are all flying on commercial jet airliners that John supplied machined parts for and we are all utilizing power in our homes supplied from nuclear power plants using parts from John and his company. In 1978 he formed a father/ son real estate development and construction company.
After 24 years, this firm has become a major national real estate company developing and managing over six million square feet of commercial property all across North America. Many of the projects were designed and built for the US government such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Homeland Security. John was a man with inspiration and passion. He had tremendous energy and fortitude. He was truly a role model for all who knew him and respected him. For someone as important to his community as John was, he was a humble man.
All his life John was dedicated to projects and events to honor his shipmates and all veterans. He was one of the founders of the Taffy III veterans group and for the past 13 years he has been the driving force in many charitable programs. Some of these in San Diego included the erection of the US Aircraft Carrier Memorial on Harbor Drive, the Taffy III monument at the G Street Mall, the USS San Diego monument, and the Navy Homecoming statue. He chaired the commissioning of the USS Pearl Harbor and at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, five monuments were erected to forever memorialize the 894 men killed in action at the Battle of Leyete Gulf during WWII; as well as the installation of their outdoor chapel sound system which most importantly, sounds Taps at the close of every day. Task Unit 77.4.3, aka Taffy III, made the decision to sponsor a military tribute to Bob Hope which is nearing completion. John also had plans for a new National Veterans Cemetery in San Diego. He was looking forward to the challenge of raising millions of dollars to provide a chapel and numerous monuments and memorials for this new cemetery.
His legacy will always be remembered by his hard work, honesty, and overwhelming generosity. His love for family and friends was his priority in life. He was willing to help people in need and give everyone an opportunity in life.
John has been married for 63 years to his loving wife Marie. In addition to his wife, survivors include daughter Sandra of El Cajon, his son Michael and daughter-in-law Linda of Rancho Santa Fe, four grandchildren, Mike Jr. of Dallas, Mindee of Carlsbad, Steve Jr. of Temecula, and Scott of Temecula. There are three great grandchildren; Wesley, Shane, and Taylor. He also leaves behind a sister Marie Heibing, a sister Emily Larsen, and a brother Adam.
Viewing will be at Greenwood Memorial and Mortuary on Sunday, June 18, 2006 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Salli Lynn Chapel. Memorial Service is scheduled for 12:00 noon on Monday, June 19, 2006 in the Garden Chapel of the Greenwood Memorial and Mortuary.
In lieu of flowers, family members ask that donations in memory of John Ibe may be made to the Home of Guiding Hands at 1825 Gillespie Way, Suite 200, El Cajon, CA 92020. 619-938-2855.
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