John J. Prince

SIOUX CITY -- John "Jack" Prince, 88, of Sioux City passed away Thursday, July 16, 2009, at Indian Hills Care Center.

Memorial services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at Mayflower Congregational Church, with the Revs. Laird Keever and Dan Lozer officiating. Graveside services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, in Oak Hill Cemetery, Cherokee, Iowa. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service Tuesday at the church. Arrangements in Sioux City are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. Arrangements in Cherokee are under the direction of Greenwood Funeral Home.

Jack was born May 27, 1921, in Pittsburgh, Pa. He was adopted by Joe and Charlotte Prince. He grew up and went to school in Storm Lake, Iowa, then moved to Cherokee in 1941, where he went to work for the Illinois Central Railroad. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942. He completed basic infantry training in Mineral Wells, Texas, then transferred to the Army Air Corps and began flight training in San Antonio, Texas.

He married Janette Sjostrom of Cherokee on May 22, 1943, while stationed in Bonham, Texas. He participated in the D-Day Invasion of Normandy as a troop carrier pilot, dropping paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division near Sainte Mere Eglise. His plane was shot down behind enemy lines, where he and his crew evaded capture for 16 days before returning to the safety of Allied lines. He later participated in the airborne invasions of southern France and Holland. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart among many other awards. After the war, he and Jan returned to Cherokee and later moved to Sioux City in 1949. He worked for the Illinois Central Railroad until his retirement in 1982.

His longtime hobby was model railroading, which he pursued on his own and as a member of several model railroad clubs. Through their lives together, the couple enjoyed traveling all over the United States and in Europe. One of the highlights of his last years was the Siouxland Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. to see the World War II Memorial.

He is survived by two sons, David of Lake Elmo, Minn., and Tom of Sioux City; and two grandsons, Michael of St. Paul, Minn., and Peter of Brooklyn, N.Y.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and his beloved wife, Jan.

Memorials may be directed to Hospice of Siouxland or the Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ.