Johannes "John" Linning

Johannes Linning, the fifth in a continuous line, was born August 27, 1937 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Johannes and Elisabeth (Tau) Linning. He passed away Tuesday, October 9, 2012 in Whittier, California following a lengthy illness.



Johannes spent his first years in Amsterdam, but his family immigrated to Whittier, California via Salt Lake City, Utah when he was just a young boy. He completed his secondary education in Whittier and later went on to study at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.



A skilled draftsman with great understanding of electrical engineering, Johannes spent the bulk of his career working as an electrical inspector for C F Braun & Co., a leader in petrochemical engineering. His career took him all over the world, but he always maintained a permanent residence in Whittier. Among his assignments, he spent considerable time in Colorado, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Texas.



While in Colorado, Johannes met the love of his life, Shirley Jean Edwards. They were married in January of 1978 and enjoyed many wonderful years together before Shirley's passing in 2008. Johannes never had children of his own, but he loved his wife's children, Cinthia and William.



Johannes had a very brilliant mind. Learning was perhaps his favorite pasttime. He was a walking encyclopedia, especially when it came to American and European history. He had thousands of books which adorn nearly every room of his home. Johannes was also multi-lingual. In addition to his native language of Dutch, Johannes spoke English, German and French.



Family History was a big part of Johannes' later years. He frequently volunteered at the Family History Center for his church. Johannes was also very involved in the German Immigrant Library in Burbank, California. He served as Vice President at the library and was very involved in translating its immigrant records.



Johannes is survived by his step children, Cinthia (Chris) Swartout and William (Diana) Havens; sisters, Elisabeth 'Betty' Livingston, Petronella 'Connie' Urbanawiz, and Leona Jimenez; brother, Leonardus 'Leo' Linning; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley, and brother, Rudolph Linning.