John D. Oakley

John D. Oakley, 59, of Spokane died at home November 10, 2016. He was born in Moses Lake, WA on August 3, 1957, the 4th child of Richard and Jane Oakley. He graduated from Ferris HS in 1975. His family moved to Walla Walla that same year where John attended community college and obtained his AA in Criminal Justice, later earning his BA and Master’s Degrees in Education and Administration from Eastern Washington University. In 1977, John met Debbie (Giger) Oakley in Walla Walla while “dragging the gut” on a Friday night. They were married June 9, 1979 and have 2 sons, Adam and Aaron. John has been employed with Spokane Public Schools since January, 1980. He taught at Garfield and Roosevelt Elementary and Sacajawea Middle School. He was an influential coach for countless teams, in various sports. One of his biggest joys was coaching his two boys throughout their lives. In 1998 he started as the score clock operator at Gonzaga University for men’s and women’s basketball games. John was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Lou Gehrig’s disease, in January 2015. The family would like to thank Dr. Hauxwell, Dr. Carlson and his team, Nathan from the ALS Association Evergreen Chapter, and the staff from Team Gleason, for all of their love and support throughout John’s struggle. He will be missed by Debbie, his wife and true love; his son Adam and wife Shannon, granddaughters Grace and Harper; his son Aaron and wife Dominique, grandsons Hendrix and Brahm, all of Spokane, WA. He leaves his parents, Richard and Jane Oakley; siblings Tori (Dan) Tinker, Gib Oakley, Kathy Critser, and Tracey Oakley. He is survived by his in-laws, Sharon Puller, Jim Puller, Carolyn Giger, Bob Giger, Jr., Darla (Mark) Hedges, Julie (Shaun) King, JoAnne (Joe) Bennett, Robyn Giger, Rhonda (Kirk) Giger, and Renee Giger. He will also be missed by nieces, Brooke, Erica, Kendra, Morgan and Claira; and nephews, Jon, RG, Jordan, Kyle, Nathaniel, Alex, Emerson and Elliott, as well as countless dedicated and loving friends. John was preceded in death by his father in law, Robert Giger, and brother in law, Ryan Giger. A public memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 19th, at 2 pm, in the Sacajawea MS gymnasium (401 E. 33rd Ave, Spokane). Recognizing that this is a celebration of John’s life, please wear casual attire that reminds you of him. Gifts in John’s memory can be made to the ALS Association Evergreen Chapter or the John Oakley Education Memorial Fund at Spokane Teacher’s Credit Union.