John R. Price

John Ralph Price passed away peacefully, on November 5, 2021, at Agrace HospiceCare in Fitchburg. Born on October 1, 1936, to Ralph D.L. Price and Mary Frances Zahm in Columbus, Kansas, the family moved to Leoti, in western Kansas, at the end of the Dust Bowl Era. They continued on to Salina, Kansas, just before the outbreak of WWII, where John entered school at Lowell Elementary School. At the end of WWII, while the family was preparing to move north, he was enrolled for a few weeks in elementary school in his birth town of Columbus. After the family settled in Madison, Wisconsin, he was enrolled at West High School. He was also a member of the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps. After graduation from West High School, he went on active duty with the U.S. Naval Reserve. He was trained as an electronics technician at Treasure Island Naval Station in San Francisco, California. He served with the Pacific Reserve Fleet and on board the destroyer U.S.S. Black (DD666) with principal duty in the Far East. His dates of service included the end of the Korean War. He served in the Naval Reserve for eight years, including three years on active duty. On discharge from active military duty, he continued his education, earning a Bachelor of Education degree from Ohio State University. While at Ohio State, he studied Shorinru karate. He was certified to teach at the secondary level in the States of Ohio and Wisconsin. On graduation from the university, he worked as an instructor with the Madison Scouts color guard. His first group won the corps’ first national championship and continued winning many contests for several years. He later was the director of the corps. He was also director of Madison’s 32nd Hussar Drum and Bugle Corps. Through the years, he was instructor, advisor, and mentor for drum corps in Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Ontario. In what he called his “younger, wilder days” he developed an interest in owning and driving sports cars. He started with Studebaker’s version of a muscle car (Avanti R-2 engine with chrome plated headers and Paxton supercharger) then a pre-Stingray Corvette followed by a series of E-type Jaguars, ending with a V-12 E-type. He enjoyed sailing on Madison’s Lake Mendota, Green Bay and Lake Michigan on his friend’s 23’ boat. He enjoyed traveling and thought nothing of loading up his car and driving to NYC for lunch and a show. He also drove south, touring the central Mexico and Yucatan archaeological sites, developing an interest in Mesoamerican history. Travels into the Unites States Southwest sparked an interest in the Native American people. His personal library contained several thousand books, including much of the University of Oklahoma’s Civilization of the American Indian series and many books and dictionaries on various indigenous languages. The family oral history mentioned the Comanche and Delaware nations as being part of his heritage. The results of recent DNA testing showed that he had 0.1% Native Indian blood. With his business associates he designed, built and operated the Middleton Station restaurant. He sold real estate for a while and, working for American TV and later for Sears, he sold consumer electronics. Working with his long-time friend, he designed and built their home with a central garden filled with tropical vegetation and ceilings covered with ornamental plaster work. He taught himself fine woodworking and completed much of the architectural detailing of his home in his own workshop. John is survived by his sister, Carol Ann Works of Melbourne, Florida; nephew, William Clark Mills of Palo Alto, California; niece, Kathryn Ann Mills Gestri of Santa Cruz, California; niece, Sara Marie Mills of Witten, Germany; and many grandnieces and grandnephews along with other family members in the area of Kansas. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson West Funeral & Cremation Care 7435 University Ave. (608) 831-6761