LAKEWOOD - Kind, gregarious and dedicated to equality on the waterfront, longshoreman John "J.R." Kiser was the kind of guy who makes those long hours at work enjoyable, even if the nature of that work is often grueling.
Maybe it was because working on the docks was John's third career following a globetrotting first 40 years that included stints in Europe, Asia and across the United States.
He was a mentor to the young "longies" earning their stripes in a tight-knit community, a reliable buddy to the dockworkers he came to know over the past decade, and a proud family man who cherished the company of his wife, daughters and and grandchildren.
So it comes as little surprise to learn his accidental death Sept. 12 while helping offload a container ship on Terminal Island has left the maritime community around San Pedro Bay reeling.
"He was always there for the kids, from picking them up at school, shopping for antique gumball machines, or spending the night on Dodger Field in a sleeping bag with his granddaughter," said Jerry Avila, a friend and fellow longshoreman, in an e-mail statement. "Whatever J.R. chose to do in life, he was well-respected by his family, friends and colleagues."
Hundreds of mourners are expected Sunday at a funeral service for Kiser, who was 53 when a yard tractor struck him down at the Evergreen Terminal in the Los Angeles port. Police say it was an accident.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. at
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, 4471 Lincoln Ave. in Cypress.Born June 11, 1956, to R.F. Kiser and Diana Rae White in Hollywood, John spent his early years with sister Katie and his mom in Los Angeles. In the early 1970s, he moved to Hawaii, where friends said he charmed the natives - especially his female classmates - with a laid-back style that became John's trademark.
After graduating from Jenkins High School in Kentucky, where he went by the nickname "Kentucky Hula," John was recruited into the Army and served three tours overseas, including in Vietnam during the waning days before Saigon fell. He was awarded a Purple Heart during his time in the Army, but military life wasn't John's calling, and following discharge, he married Pamela and became an engineer with the oil industry. Again, John was sent around the globe, working 15 years studying and searching for finds from the U.S. to Indonesia, where he was head of an American crew of geothermal engineers.
He would remain married to Pamela until his death, and the couple raised two daughters, Tara and Sheila.
In 1997, Kiser joined the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, where friends say he really found his groove as a member of Local 13 in Wilmington. He'd work nights, days or swing shifts without complaint and was known for cracking jokes to lighten the mood - especially if tensions were high at the end of a long shift or a protracted battle with management.
His death, the third on the waterfront since April 2008, has rallied friends and co-workers, including truck drivers who knew John through dispatches to the waterfront, to call for safer working conditions.
"Our hearts go out to Kiser's family and his ILWU brothers and sisters," said Fred Potter, a trucker and director of the Teamsters Port Division.
"All port workers deserve the safest working environment possible, and local officials and employers should ensure all necessary safeguards and enforcement in order to prevent future injuries and fatalities."
John is survived by his wife, Pamela, daughters Tara and Sheila Hanson, granddaughters Amanda and Angela, sister Katie and loved ones at Local 13.
kristopher.hanson@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1466