John Richard Spaulding was born September 20, 1940 in Normal, Illinois. He was raised alongside his three siblings, Gene, Dolores and Gary, in Dwight, Illinois. He was a graduate of Dwight High School. After graduating high school, John joined the United States Army, and was stationed in Bakersfield, California from 1963-1966. It was there he met the love of his life, Diana, in 1965. They married on July 2, 1966 and settled into life in Bakersfield. John was a graduate of Operating Engineers Local #12 Apprenticeship Program and began his career as an Operating Engineer with Granite Construction. From there, he went on to work as IUOE Local #12 Business Agent. He went on to become the District Representative for Local #12 in Pasadena, California, before retiring (from his first job) in 2005. He was a Graduate of the Trade Union Program at Harvard University. Never one to sit idly by, John went to work for the Building Trades Council as Executive Secretary in 2007 until his second retirement in 2022. John and Diana have four children: Christi, Michael, Laura and Richard; six grand-children: Brittany, Hailee, Hannah, Annabelle, Allison and Brock; one great-grandson, JD; with another on the way. John’s civic involvement includes: Central Labor Council – president, Kern Economic Development Corp., Workforce Development Executive Board, Kern Transportation Foundation, board of directors, Project Clean Air, Friendship House, Kern County Fair Housing and Schools to Charters, VP Democratic Central Committee, Greater Bakersfield Separation of Grade District. John was a Shriner, Mason, Scottish Rite, and an Elk. He was 22 gallon club donor at Houchin Blood Bank. To know John was to know how much he loved his family. He spent countless hours at a soccer match, coaching, refereeing, mentoring and cheer leading countless children, neighborhood kids, and grandchildren. Remembrances in John’s name can be made to St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital or Shriner’s Hospitals for Children.