John Lee Nidiffer

John Lee Nidiffer was born September 1, 1940 and raised in Tulsa, OK. His natural parents died before he could meet them and he was adopted by Otis and Gladys Nidiffer at six months of age. They raised him as their own, worked very hard and were successful in their endeavors. John attended Lanier Elementary School, Woodrow Wilson Junior High School and Will Rogers High School, where he was on the rifle team. After graduating from Tulsa University, John entered the career that he had always wanted, and was commissioned in the United States Air Force. While posted in Alabama, John earned a Masters degree in Political Science at Auburn University. He spent three years on active duty before returning to Tulsa. After obtaining a real estate broker's license, John opened his own business in his family's shopping center, Mayo Meadow, at 21st & Yale. While in Tulsa, he joined the Oklahoma Air National Guard, was a member for sixteen years and spent the majority of his time on active duty tours in support of the active Air Force. John received a medal for expert marksmanship while in the service. After the Guard, he joined the Air Force Reserve and moved to Florida with his wife and children. John performed extensive active duty with the U. S. Special Operations Command and the U.S. Central Command. His final assignment was at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. "My service was very rewarding. It took me all over the world. I operated in many settings both on land and sea." In a letter dated October 25, 1990, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf thanked John for a letter and report that he had submitted. "I found the paper very interesting and useful. I have said many times that in order to evaluate the enemy you must first know its leaders. Your paper has been very helpful in this matter and I am having it sent .......... for further review and analysis. Your willingness to help is testimony of your dedication to the job at hand. Let me assure you that your assistance is greatly appreciated. Thanks again for your support." John served the military and his country very well. After his military obligations, he returned to Tulsa to care for his aging mother and to manage the family's property business in mid-town Tulsa. Upon his mother's death in 1998, John assumed control of the corporation which included the shopping center that his father had built. He began to redevelop the property, and it is a successful part of the commercial activity at 21st & Yale in Tulsa. John was a funny man. Always with a twinkle in his eye, he sometimes had a sly smile that let you know he was always thinking. John enjoyed bowling, hiking, hunting, boating, poker and listening to easy listening singer/songwriters of the 1960s and 1970s. After his time in the military, he enjoyed traveling, especially to Florida and to Israel. John was a man of faith. He also was a character. John made the best fudge, and he knew it. While in the military, he would bribe those in position of authority with his fudge in order to gain favors. Such as being able to use the exclusively military "watts lines" (free long distance) in order to call home and to obtain better housing in a new post after moving. Once he and his children got to live in a General's quarters rather than those of a Major during a short term assignment. John was a member of the American Legion Post #1 in Tulsa, and enjoyed attending events there. He and his children would eat lunch at the VFW in downtown Tulsa on Wednesdays and Thursdays, socializing with others who also frequented there. John was married to Juanita Moore for over a decade; they had two children. His second wife, Jean, passed in October, 2004. Then John found companionship in a loving relationship with Gay Tissaw. Both of his children consider Gay as family. John is survived by his daughter Laurie L. Nidiffer of Tulsa, son Clay A. Nidiffer of Tulsa, granddaughter Isabella Pearl Nidiffer of Tulsa and grandson Reagan Duke Nidiffer who is in the Marines in San Diego. Please make any donations to the American Legion Post #1 in downtown Tulsa. Funeral Service will be 2:00 P.M., Monday, January 9, 2023 at Memorial Park Cemetery Chapel, 5111 S. Memorial Drive, Tulsa, OK. Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233

John Lee Nidiffer

September 1, 1940 - January 3, 2023