Nothing inspired John more than being told he couldn’t do something. As a young man, he was dropped from ROTC due to a serious heart murmur that he and his fiancé were told would end his life within a few years. His innate stubbornness caused him to rise to the occasion and prove them all wrong. He and his fiancé married anyway, and John thrived for 87 years before passing on Dec. 29, 2021. His wife, Celine, of more than 50 years preceded him in 2013.
John leaves behind two daughters, Frances Walker and Cynthia Mudge, along with five grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. His son, John T. Mudge, Jr., passed away in 2018.
John graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, in 1955 and carved out an extensive career as a CPA, becoming a banking tax expert where he enjoyed jousting with the IRS during a 17-year career with Seafirst National Bank. In 1981, he and his wife and daughter Frances ran away from the big city of Seattle to carve out a new career of raising sheep in Chehalis. He loved the farm, where he was able to live out the remainder of his life.
John’s memorial service is scheduled at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 24, 2022, at St. Francis Xavier Parish located at 139 Spencer Road in Toledo, Washington. John will be laid to rest at the St. Francis Xavier cemetery with his wife.
To view the obituary, please go to chronline.com/obituaries.
