John Lawrence Relethford was born April 22, 1922 in Arkansas to parents, William and Ada Ruth Relethford. A very hard working farming family, they grew whatever food the family needed. They raised cattle and chickens, hunted and trapped for food and furs to sell. They, also owned a Mill to grind cornmeal and at one time had a family tomato canning business named, Relethford Tomatoes. John passed away on February 9th, 2015 at his home in Rochester, Washington. During WWII, John served his country as Quarter Master First Class, Coast Guard on the ship LST #169. His first duties included training new sailors aboard new ships straight off the manufacturing line. They would get a new ship and new crew to train every week. They trained more than 24 different crews. John married Eloise Goodrich on May 14th, 1949 and had five children, Roy, Rose, Joann, Joel, and Ronald. John taught his children the art of fishing and clamming, visiting many different lakes and beaches. He is also survived by many grandchildren, great grandchildren, and six great-great grandchildren. Viewing will be Friday evening, February 20th, 5-9pm at Newell-Hoerling in Centralia. Services will be held at graveside at Claquato Cemetery in Chehalis on Saturday, February 21st, at 11am.There will be a reception following the graveside funeral on Saturday at: Rochester United Methodist Church 18206 Corvallis St. Rochester, WA 98579 Donations may be made in lieu of flowers. Suggested charities: Wounded Warriors Project or National Parkinsons Foundation.