After his service in the military during the Vietnam War, Thomas "TJ" John joined the Salinas Fire Department and began his nearly 30-year career protecting the same community in which he was born and raised. During his service, Thomas' mechanical aptitude quickly became apparent to management and he was promoted to head of the maintenance division for the department's growing apparatus fleet. Outside of the fire house, Thomas was an avid drag racer and was still competing at the age of 72, just before his death. He is survived by his wife, Patsy, and their five children. He died in 2015 due to complications from a job-related respiratory disease at the age of 72.