I purchased Johns converted couplers and some of those express/passenger
trucks back when I was in high school. After the usual years of college
and starting a career, I returned to model RRing in the late 70's and
John was still selling needed stuff.
I visited his layout along with Billy & Danny Click, Jack and Margret
Troxell at the New Brunswick convention. Later Kent Singer, John and I
had a few breakfasts together. He was one of my first guests to visit
my layout when we had the national NMRA here in Houston--he was a big
NMRA supporter. I was privileged to know him and he knows his couplers
are still doing their job on my layout.
Bob Werre
On 9/15/13 8:44 AM, Billy Click wrote:
My condolences to you and your family. John was certainly one of the
kingpins of S scale and influenced so many of us. Always greeted folks
with a smile and a slightly gruff but warm greeting. I was privileged
to visit the PPV&W on two different occasions, once during the New
Brunswick convention and once while I was attending a work meeting in
Philadelphia. I called John and he said to come on and have supper.
After a $50 cab ride John and Alma invited me into their home, we had
dinner, and the showed me the layout, ran trains, and talked into the
night. No cab would come that far out at that time of night so he took
me several miles to some place where we could meet a cab so I could go
back to my hotel.
Rest in peace,
Billy Click
Llano TX
P.S. Now a 1/8 scaler as well.
On Sep 14, 2013, at 9:36 PM, <gabby...@yahoo.com
<mailto:gabby...@yahoo.com>> <gabby...@yahoo.com
<mailto:gabby...@yahoo.com>> wrote:
For all who knew John Bortz, *he passed away peacefully today
(9-14-13), 1:34PM at 94 years old. Me and my Grandmother (his eldest
child) were at his home cleaning things out when we got the call, I
was down in the remnants of his basement layout cleaning things up.
So it was kind of cool to think his spirit was down there looking at
it with me. He was doing fine up until a few weeks ago. Just wanted
to let anybody who knew him know had passed. I posted photo's of his
layout in the photo's section of it before being dismantled for
auction. *
