John Bellisle

LONG BEACH — John E. Belisle, age 69, passed away suddenly on May 4, 2023 at Ocean Beach Hospital. John was born on Dec. 29, 1953 in Vancouver, WA to Edmund “Bud” Belisle and Eleanor (Klein) Belisle.

John spent his early childhood in Hazel Dell with his many brothers and sisters. John’s father worked for Bonneville Power and built homes on the side, allowing the family to travel extensively and spend the summers in their cabin while “Bud” traveled to the cabin on weekends.

John and his family moved to Ilwaco in 1972 and graduated from Ilwaco High School in 1973. John excelled at high school football and spent his teen summers as a deckhand for Bill Cady on the Sea Babe out of Ilwaco. In the mid-1970s John went to work for Dean Marsh learning the gutter trade until he struck out on his own, starting Sta-Dri Continuous Gutters, which he owned and operated until around 2016.

On Sept. 12, 1981 John married the love of his life, Tami (Baker) Belisle, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Seaview, Washington. Besides marrying Tami, the highlight of John’s life was raising his and Tami’s niece and nephew Holli (Friddle) Kemmer and Chad Friddle as their own and being a grandfather to Holli and Chad’s children. John was so excited when his grandson Owen was born on his birthday and always loved sharing that special birth date with his Owen.

John was proud to be a 25-plus year member of the Long Beach Fire Department and enjoyed hanging out with his friends on the many trainings and fire calls over the years. He was also a long-time Elk’s member, and always gave his money freely to help support youth sports, especially the Ilwaco High School basketball team.

John was preceded in death by his wife Tami, brother Gary Belisle, brother in-law Tommy Friddle, sister in-law Conni (Baker) Friddle, and his beloved parents. John is survived by his daughter Holli (Friddle) Kemmer (Daryl Shepard), son Chad Friddle (Emily Friddle), his grandchildren Taylor Kemmer, Alyssa Friddle, Dakota Shepard, Jaymi Kemmer, Carli Kemmer, Owen Friddle, and Westin Shepard. John is also survived by his brother Jamie Belisle, sister Becky (Belisle) Miller, brother in-law Darrell Miller, as well as numerous nieces & nephews, and great nieces and nephews.

There will be a Celebration of Life/Potluck on Saturday, June 24, at 12 noon at the home of Jamie Belisle, 5412 67th Place, Long Beach. Bring a drink and your favorite dish to share, as well as your favorite story about John.