John Valcourt

John Valcourt III, "Lucky" to family and "Val" to most everyone else, was born March
6, 1941 and passed away on June 10, 2018.

He is preceded in death by his father, John Valcourt, Jr.; mother, Myra E. Valcourt; brother, Jay Valcourt and sisters, Valerie Hargreaves and husband, Bill; Nanette Mercer and husband, Fred; brother-in-law,
Tom Stark.

He is survived by his loving wife, Martha "Marti" Valcour, sons, ]ay Valcourt and Jarrod Valcourt and Misty Valcourt; grandson Devon and granddaughter, Sydney; two stepsons, Mike Kliewer and Jason Kliewer; granddaughters Kylie, Jordan and Claire; as well as two sisters, Renee Stark and Vicki Helms and several nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews and many cousins throughout the south.

Val was born in Bergenfield, NJ and went to school there until his high school years when he went to and graduated from New York Military Academy. He then went on to college at the University of Connecticut before joining the Army in the early 1960s. He served two tours in Vietnam, once as a paratrooper and next as a pilot of cargo and troops planes. After that, he served most of his career as a helicopter pilot. After 20+ years in the Army, he retired as a Major and was a helicopter instructor at Ft. Rucker, AL for more than 20 years.

Val loved serving in the Army and traveling to many countries. After retiring, he was a Mason, and a member of both the Elks and the Shriners. He volunteered at the local Panama City USO, also. Most of all, he loved spending time with his wife, Marti, traveling and visiting their family and friends. They spent many Thanksgiving holidays in Irondale, Alabama - just east of Birmingham - meeting up with all the family that could make it there each year. He loved his family and to have fun, he LOVED Alabama football “ROLL TIDE”, but he really loved fishing from his boat and off the dock in his back yard

Val brought joy and laughter to so many people. The stories he could tell! He never
met a stranger. He loved his country and gave it his all. He lived life to the fullest
and was always happy and maybe just a little crazy. Val will be missed by all who
knew and loved him. He made the world a better place. Rest in peace, Val.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the local USO in Panama City or to your favorite military organization.

Val's memorial service, or rather, celebration of life, will be held at the Forest Park United Church at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, June 16, 2018 with Dr. John Friedman officiating.

Arrangements by Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home and Cemeteries
 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John Valcourt, please visit our floral store.