Our beloved brother, John Lapham Rothschild, of Elma, has gone to walk with the Lord, Sept. 14, 2018. John passed quietly surrounded by family after a short battle with cancer. Born Feb. 17, 1946, in Tulsa, Okla., he was 72 years old.

He graduated from Modesto High School and attended Modesto Junior College, San Jose State and Foothill College.

John led an adventurous life – fishing and boating, building and driving dragsters, funny cars, Corvettes and bracket racing. He held four world records and a multitude of trophies in various racing venues – including a trophy for Best Engineered Car of 1980, Sportsman Class. He worked as a mechanical engineer at Metro Tech and Philco Ford, eventually starting his own business designing Multi-layer PC Boards.

John was always a favorite with adults and children, being an avid story teller. He was well known as the “Balloon Man” to all the children he loved. In his later years, he took great pride in his family, enjoying time spent together. He took great solace in his church and church family.

John is proceeded in death by his parents, John Maeir Rothschild and Juanita Eve Rothschild, sister Linda Lorene Gentry and nephew, Jeffery Avery. He is survived by his sisters, Eva G. Rothschild at the family home, Loleta Lillian Schneider of Elma, Wash. and Kathleen Ford of Mobile, Ala. John is also survived by five nieces, seven nephews and several great-nieces and nephews.

Services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 702 E Main St, Elma.