John G. Tevis was born on January 15, 1925  to Mr. and Mrs. Michael Tevis who lived at 42 Walnut Street in Phoenixville , Pennsylvania. John was one of nine children, including brothers Michael, Dravyanko, Joseph, Stephen, Thomas and Mickey, and sisters Mary, and Anna.

John attended the Sacred Heart School located on Hall Street (where hero ‘Nick’ Basca began his legendary - and all too brief - football career) and later Memorial Junior High School, located at 320 Second Avenue, today the Barkley Elementary School.  (Memorial Junior High school is where the famed 1957 movie  “The Blob” was filmed).

John then attended two years at Phoenixville High School, then located on Nutt Road where the Hospital is located today.  He was a member of the Sacred Heart Church.

John entered service in the Army in June 1943.  He trained in Texas and Louisiana. He returned home on an 11-day furlough for the Christmas Holidays in 1943.  He said, “Army life is swell, but home life is still better.  

John was sent overseas to the PTO (Pacific Theater of Operations) in June 1944 assigned to the 287^th Field Artillery Observation Battalion.  The Field Artillery Observation battalions did not have artillery, but were trained to set up observation posts, and communications, for counter battery operations – countering enemy artillery.  This was done by sound and flash ranging (observe source of enemy artillery by sound and their flashes), to call in fire support and adjustments for accuracy.

John was in combat in the Admiralty Islands (off the northern coast of New Guinea), as well as on Leyte Island in the Philippines.  He landed on Okinawa in May.

Private First Class John G. Tevis was Killed In Action on May 5, 1945 on Okinawa.  He was buried in a local military cemetery.

In 1949, he was disinterred for return to his home country. Services were held on Saturday February 9^th at his parents’ home on Walnut Street, followed by a Solemn Requiem Mass at Sacred Heart.  The Reverend Andrew M. Gajzik conducted the Mass with the Reverends Joseph Radocha and the Reverend Paul Firczak (the latter from St. Michael’s) assisted.

Interment was at the Sacred Heart Cemetery on Filmore Street with full military honors.  Soldiers from Company B, 111^th Infantry served as pallbearers, and members of the American Legion served as color guards. The firing squad was from Valley Forge General Hospital.