John Morris Bellison was born August 21, 1937 in Oakland, California to parents John Henry and Ann Bellison. He entered into rest on June 28, 2026, surrounded by family in Turlock, California. John was a large personality who enjoyed being in the presence of others. One of John’s passions was spending countless hours on the phone checking up on family and friends. John was an avid golfer who belonged to several golf groups where he made lifelong friends. He loved to hunt, fish, snow ski and spend time in the mountains where he could enjoy all of those activities. John took many trips to Gold Beach, Oregon to visit his sister Joyce, brother-in-law George and their family. Most of those trips to Gold Beach included salmon fishing excursions on the Rogue River where he gained his reputation as “Mr. Pelican Man.”
John attended local schools in Oakland and graduated from Fremont High School. That same year he married his first wife Irene Francis Espinoza. Together they had 3 children, son John Bellison and daughters June Barron and Jennifer Bellison. John served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves from 1956-1964. He worked a variety of odd jobs supporting his family until he started working for the Oakland Tribune on January 15, 1959. John continued working there until his retirement in 1992. In his position at the Tribune as a Distribution Manager, he worked with and mentored many youth who were employed as paper boys. Some of whom he continued to stay in touch with over the years.
On New Years Eve 1982, John met his second wife Patti while attending a party hosted by the Modesto Ski Club of which she was a member. In 1988 John bought a house and made the permanent move to Turlock. John and Patti enjoyed many trips together including to Japan, The Azores, The World Fair in Canada, an Alaska Cruise, New York and many ski trips. John especially enjoyed the family trips to Truckee which usually included a rafting adventure on the Truckee River. In 2002 while on a trip to Hawaii they exchanged vows on the beach.
John is survived by his wife Patricia Ann Bellison, son John Bellison, daughters June Barron and Jennifer Bellison, sister Dora Dumas and four grandchildren, Matthew Bellison, Krista Bellison, David Barron and Julianna Barron. When John married Patti, he gained a bonus family of four children, Tim Lohman (Kim), Tera Vera (Gerald), Michelle Borba (Mike) and Nicole Walker (Chris), 10 grandchildren Kristy Killough (Jarrett), Nathan Lohman (Susana), Ashley Vera, Bryan Lohman (Laura), Joseph Lohman (Maggie), Jordan Vera, Taylor Jakub (Josh), Brooke Borba, Garret Walker and Seth Borba, 12 great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Russell Bellison and sister Joyce Antunes.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Allen Mortuary on Saturday, July 25, 2026 at 10:00am, followed by a reception at the Carnegie Arts Center. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to a favorite charity.
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