Obituary of John Wesley Menke

John Wesley Menke was born in Kearney, New Jersey on October 8, 1959 to Henry and Kay Menke. He spent his childhood living aboard in Guatemala, Chile, Ethiopia, and Spain. After being kicked out of Spain at the age of 17, he returned to the United States. After completing high school and some college, John acquired a job in electronics at Unisys in Reston, Virginia. That job transitioned him into the computer field, which he enjoyed and found he had a knack for. He was very proud of his work at Unisys, including participating in building mine hunter ships in Savanah, Georgia. John accepted Jesus as his savior in his mid-twenties. In 1992, he met Linda through a mutual friend on a blind date. They quickly fell in love and were married December 23, 1994. John loved and raised Linda's three children, Lisa, Bryan, and Stephanie, as his own. Eventually John started working at MCI with many of the men attending Harvest Christian Fellowship. He built many lifelong friendships at his job at MCI. After a few years of marriage, John and Linda adopted Linda's nephews and niece, Mary, Robert, and Eddie. Once again, John loved and raised these children as his own. In 2008, John's first grandchildren were born, Warren and Caiden, followed a few years later by Masen and Evelyn. Known to his grandchildren as PeePaw, John spoiled them heavily with sugar and electronics. Throughout his life, John enjoyed good food, Hatteras Island, gun and car shows, driving his truck, his many friends, and great music and concerts. He played several instruments including the guitar and bass. He played with the worship band at Harvest Christian Fellowship for many years. He loved helping his friends and family with any and all computer problems. Since his first two stokes in 2011, John lost his ability to work, drive, and many communication skills. These changes were difficult and John longed to be "normal" again. Despite this, John loved and was loved by all his family and friends.