John Minton Bischoff

John Minton Bischoff was born January 6, 1926 to Marvin and Emma Bischoff in Washington, D.C. They moved to Bowie in 1928 where “Jack” lived until his recent passing.  He had many stories about growing up during the Depression Era in “Old” Bowie, stories of his friends, school, responsibilities, and experiences, such as his search for buried treasure.  Some were happy and humorous, and some not so much.   After graduating from Bowie High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1944 and served under General Patton in the European Theatre until his honorable discharge in 1948.  He fought in the front lines of combat and earned service medals, including the Purple Heart.  He was among the first details that began liberating Hitler’s concentration camps. Upon his return to the Washington area, Jack began his service to the court system of the District of Columbia as a bailiff during the day while gaining his undergraduate and law degrees at night.  He remained a U.S. Army reservist.  He met Carol Lyons, “the love of my life,” who on January 24, 1948, became his wife in the “middle of a blizzard that shut everything down except a few street cars.” After a brief honeymoon in New York City, he continued working in the court system with increasing responsibilities.  The Korean Conflict pulled him back into active combat duty for the U.S. Army from Oct. 1950 until his honorable discharge in Aug. 1951. After his second return from war he resumed employment with the D.C. court system and the pursuit of his Law Degree from National and George Washington University Law School, which he completed in February 1955, and  passed the D.C. Bar exam in October 1955. He was then appointed to the Domestic Relations Branch in 1956 to organize and manage its operations.  Jack was instrumental in the many changes and reorganizations of the court as well as the development and implementation of the reciprocal support program both in the District and the nation. He retired in August 1980 from his day job after 32 years of work.  While all of this was going on, we, the children, were born, and grew through the trials of childhood into adulthood. Dad participated with Mom in the details and responsibilities of parenting.  I remember, as probably my siblings do, that some of our life events were happy, some even humorous, and some challenging.  In addition to his work at the court he was a part time carpenter, mechanic, painter, farmer, plumber, or the  real “Jack of all trades”- doing all or as much as possible of his own renovations and property care. Most, as I recall, turned out well, or mostly well, or at least safe.    He impacted his community in many ways during his lifetime. Jack was an active and a fiercely loyal member of Bowie United Methodist Church.  His most remarkable impact came as a result of his own personal life challenges. First and foremost he gained a strong, personal faith in God and God’s truth which was not to be shaken.  During his final challenges in this life, Dad was confident in his salvation and his eternal home with Jesus, and he was happy to share his faith with all he came into contact with.  He continually lived his last 44 years of life based on the principles he learned through AA.  He helped to start Unity Place in Bowie several years ago as an overflow of what he saw as a need to help others gain their freedom and develop a strong relationship with God. Jack fought the good fight and won the final prize. He will be missed.