John H. McDermott, 71, Colby, died Saturday, December 10, 2016 at St. Joseph Hospital, Denver, Colorado. He was born November 7,1945, in Butte, Montana, the son of Clarence and Ruth (Bence) McDermott. He graduated from Atwood High School in 1964 and Northwest Kansas Area Vocational Technical School in auto mechanics in 1966. On December 27, 1987, he married Carlotta Corke in Goodland. He was a longtime Colby resident having worked for the Beamgard Garage and KN Energy. John was a United States Veteran having served in the United States Army from 1966 to 1969 as a motor sergeant in Stuttgart, Germany at Fifth General Hospital during the Vietnam Conflict. He later enlisted in the Kansas Army National Guard in 1973 serving with the 995th Maintenance Company out of Colby, which later became the 170th Maintenance Company. He served with them in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm, he retired from the guard in 1994. John was an avid collector of many things, including WWII memorabilia and Cushman Motor Scooters. He was a woodworker and created many detailed and intricate items for friends and family. He also had a love for hats and would commonly be seen wearing a silly hat for the current holiday or occasion. He was a member of the American Legion Post #117 and the VFW Post #1133, both of Goodland, the Cushman Club of America, Kansas Nebraska and Colorado chapters, and the Military Vehicle Preservation Association in Kansas and Colorado.

Preceding him in death were his parents, his mother-in-law Dolores Corke and his sister-in-law Sharon Corke. Survivors include his wife of the home, a sister Annalea (Phil) Janousek, his father in law Kenneth Corke, brothers and sisters in law Clarence Corke, Rodney Corke, Roger (Barbara) Corke, Marian Corke and Marlene (Don) Regehr, 5 nephews, 6 nieces, 5 great nephews and 3 great nieces.