Born: Aug. 30,1914

Died: February 20, 2013

NILES — John T. Drinnan, of Niles, Mich., passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at Caretel Inns of Lakeland, at the age of 98.  He had moved to Niles five years ago from his home in Springfield, Va.

John was born in Scotland, and at the age of six, came to the United States with his parents and younger sister, William and Agnes (Gardner) Drinnan, and Janet, who predeceased him.  He became a naturalized citizen of the U.S on June 20, 1940, and served his country in WWII.  Part of his service time was in Florida, Colorado, California, and one-and-one have years on the island of Saipan.  He was a member of the 15th Photography Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged on Dec. 22, 1945.

The next step in John’s life was to attend Strayer Business College in Washington D.C., and begin employment at the Pentagon where he served as secretary to several Secretaries of State, including Robert McNamara.  His tenure at the Pentagon lasted 35 years until his retirement in 1973.

He was married to the late Anna L. Drinnan, who predeceased him in 1992.  Together they traveled a lot around the U.S. and Europe.  They took many fishing trips together and his prize possession was a catfish weighing 47 1/2 lbs. and 7 feet, 6 inches long, which adorned the wall of their home.

Surviving Mr. Drinnan are his caretakers for the past five years, his great-niece and nephew, Rev. and Mrs. Louis (Charlotte) Staubs of Niles, as well as two great-great nieces and their families.

A Memorial Service will be held Saturday March 2 at 11 a.m. at Swem Chapel, 301 W. Front St., Buchanan, Mich. Visitation will occur one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow on Tuesday, March 5 11 a.m. at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, Kalamazoo County, Mich., with military honors. Memorials may be made to Hospice at Home, 1234 Napier Ave., Saint Joseph, MI 49085 those wishing to sign John’s online Memory Book may do so at www.swemchapel.com.