John Albert Afford

John Albert Afford was born to Joseph Albert Afford and Elizabeth Mary Rough in Oxford, England on May 15, 1930, the third of four children.

John left his native Oxford, England as a young man, attended college and worked as an Auditor in Toronto, Canada, and eventually settled in West Los Angeles, the City which was his home for over 65 years.

After arriving in Los Angeles, John furthered his education by earning undergraduate degrees in Accounting and Government, and a postgraduate degree in Business Administration. In March 1968, John began his City career as an Accountant with the Department of Public Works, where he ably handled billing and cost control functions related to engineering and the operation of public buildings. In May 1969, John was promoted to Senior Accountant at the Department of Public Works, where he proved to be a highly effective supervisor, and was responsible for directing the Work Order Section and providing professional support to operating bureaus.

In August 1975, John continued his impressive career path by promoting to Principal Accountant at the Department of Traffic, was placed in charge of the Accounting Division, and was responsible for directing essential management functions such as audits, cost analyses, grants administration, and ensuring financial compliance with federal and state regulatory agencies. It was there that John met his love Rose.

On August 27, 1976 John married his love Rosario Kuizon at St. Brendan’s church in Los Angeles. Their first son, John Joseph, was born June 3,1977 at Kaiser Sunset Medical Center. They lived in Mar Vista, California and soon had their second son Steven Kuizon on November 23, 1979 at Kaiser West LA Medical Center. John eagerly spent weekends with his two sons coaching their soccer team and various other sports. An athlete himself, he enjoyed being a long time member of the Los Angeles Athletic Club hobnobbing with many celebrities, professional athletes, and government officials.

In 1984, John's many years of professionalism and outstanding leadership culminated in his promotion to Departmental Chief Accountant, a Bureau Head position he would continue to hold for the next 21 years until his retirement, and during whose tenure the Department of Transportation doubled in size, experienced exponential growth in its operating budget and grant funds, and implemented a variety of ambitious new fiscal systems made possible by unprecedented advances in technology. John met every professional challenge with enthusiasm and skill, provided wise and reliable counsel to top management officials of the Department including Tom Bradley in which he was instrumental in the creation of Silicon Beach. He built a reputation for excellence, dedication to duty, unwavering integrity, and displayed a lively wit that was missed by all who had the pleasure of working with him.

After his wife’s passing he found love again and married Leticia on December 14, 2001 at St. Joan of Arc in Los Angeles. He was a loving, dedicated husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend, and servant of the Lord. He loved life, his family, his faith, and his country. He was an avid world traveler visiting almost every state and continent. He had a fond love of the Hawaiian islands & Branson, Missouri which were his second home as he frequented them for multiple months every year. He loved singing. In fact, he would greet everyone with a song and could be found everywhere giving unsolicited free concerts. He was a devout Catholic, lector minister, and active parishioner even co-chairing the coffee and doughnut ministry with Letty for more than a decade.

He died at the age of 93 due to COVID and multiple co-morbidities, 2 months shy of his 94th birthday. He was predeceased by parents Joseph & Elizabeth; his brothers Peter and Fred, his sister Joyce; and his former wife Rose. He is survived by his loving wife Letty; son John Joseph and wife Angel and their daughter Amelia; son Steven, son Marletto, daughter Marcelette and husband Carlos and their children Christopher, Matthew, Isabella, and baby Marcelo.