Active in Civic Affairs : John Storch, Newport WW II Air Ace, Dies

World War II flying ace and longtime Newport Beach resident John A. Storch has died after a long bout with Alzheimer’s disease, relatives said Monday. He was 68.

Storch, a senior vice president of Petrolane Inc. until his retirement in 1977, died Saturday at a Newport Beach nursing home of pneumonia and complications resulting from a recent stroke, family members said.

Born and reared in Long Beach, Storch attended UC Berkeley, where he received a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration.

Storch entered the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1941 and immediately began training as a fighter pilot. He led 18 of the 20 missions he flew in the European theater. He was awarded the Silver Star, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Air Medal and the Croix de Guerre, and he left the service in 1946 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Active in local and civic affairs, Storch served on the 1977 Orange County Grand Jury and was a longtime member of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian’s volunteer fund-raising club. An avid golfer, Storch was perhaps proudest of his membership in Big Canyon Country Club’s exclusive “Hole-in-One” club.

He is survived by his wife, Betty, of Newport Beach; a son, John C. Storch, a medical intern at the University of Southern California, and three daughters, Anne Storch of Newport Beach, Judy Storch of New Orleans and Mrs. Sally Bunkall of Pasadena.

A memorial service will be held at 7:30 p.m. today at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church at 2046 Mar Vista Drive, Newport Beach. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that contributions be made to the Assistance League of Newport Beach or the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Assn.