John Melvin Alvis

John M. Alvis, 73, was born on March 30, 1943, in Big Spring, Texas. He passed away March 13, 2017 at St. Mary's Hospital in Long Beach due to complications from a stroke.

John graduated from Chapman College in 1967. He married Sally in 1971. They lived in Westminster and then settled in La Palma.

He taught in Cypress School District for 38 years - Cawthon, Luther, Mackay, and King Schools. He also served on the Centralia School District Board for 17 years. Education was extremely important for John! He was a source of knowledge for teachers, negotiators, students, parents, and anyone who wanted to learn.

John retired in 2005 and began volunteering in La Palma – Kiwanis, Police VIP, and the Traffic Safety Committee. He was also an excellent cook for Sally's last 2 years of teaching. Then they began cruising - Europe, Asia, Alaska, and around South America. They also traveled in the USA in search of genealogy, seeing new places, and visiting relatives.

John is survived by his first wife Sally, daughter Tiffany (Troy), son Logan, and grandkids Trenton and Taryn.

Services will be held at Forest Lawn in Cypress on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. Viewing will be available Monday, March 20 from 5 to 9PM. In lieu of flowers, please donate to a new JFKennedy Scholarship for JMAlvis (call Sally for details).