John Charles Macon
February 6, 1946 - September 18, 2021

John C. Macon died on Sept. 18, 2021, in Aguanga, Calif. He was born on Feb. 6, 1946, in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

John was a typical Iowa farm boy who dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps to become a pilot. He spent his high school years preparing for his chance to go to the Air Force Academy. He contacted his congressional representative for a recommendation, went out for sports to be physically ready, and kept his dreams of attending the Air Force Academy and becoming a pilot on the front burner.

John was admitted to the Air Force Academy as a member of the Class of 1968 where he majored in history and excelled at detention, and steadfastly retained a determination to make it all the way to the “Officer and a Gentleman (by Act of Congress)” designation. Upon graduation, he went to pilot training in Enid, Okla. Capt. Macon piloted C-141s, a Cessna Skymaster as a Forward Air Controller in Vietnam, and later B-52s.

In later years, John became an avid RVer. He and his current wife, ZoAnn, were both solo full-time RVers when they met in a dust storm in Deming, NM. They married in 2010, and together they traveled to all 50 states (they could not hold their breath long enough to RV to Hawaii and chose to cruise instead), all the provinces and territories of Canada, and through the length of Baja
California and back.

They finally settled down in the Jojoba Hills RV Resort in Aguanga, Calif., where they found beauty, fun and an incredible sense of community. John liked to say, “There’s no place like it in the world!”

John is survived by his wife, ZoAnn Lapinsky Macon; two children from a previous marriage, Todd Macon (spouse Brenda Burger Macon), and Jennifer Macon James (spouse Todd James); a brother, James Macon (spouse Karen Wenger Macon); a sister, Connie Macon Brinton (spouse Edward Brinton); and several grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

John will be interred in the Columbarium at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. (ZoAnn Macon, John’s wife)