Jack Temple saw MacArthur's return to Philippines

By Patti Thorn, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published March 17, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Temple took part in the Battle at Leyte Gulf.

As a kid, Jack Temple had run-ins with Baby Doe Tabor.

During World War II, he saw Japanese kamikaze pilots so close he could read the expressions on their faces. And he watched as Gen. Douglas MacArthur made his famous return to the Philippines, marching to shore with a resolute fierceness on his face.

But if you want to know what Mr. Temple was all about, forget his brushes with history. Consider an oil painting in his home.

It was a beautiful river landscape, the sort that dresses up a room. But Temple couldn't resist one "improvement": He cut out a tiny photo of his wife Julie and pasted it into the picture, posing her on a rock in midstream.

Let's just say the man enjoyed a devilish sense of humor.

Mr. Temple died Feb. 12 at age 86, from causes that were difficult to pinpoint. "He had a lot of things," said his son, Jim Temple. "You could say it was too many miles on the odometer."

Born John Sheldon Temple in Walsenburg on Jan. 13, 1922, he was the child of a coal miner. His family struggled through the Depression, often relying on the kindness of a neighboring Japanese family that shared vegetables they grew in their garden.

"He said if they hadn't, his family would have starved," said Mr. Temple's daughter-in-law, Linda Temple. In later years, Mr. Temple was always chastened to recall that the same family was incarcerated in an internment camp during World War II.

As the Depression continued, the Temples moved to Leadville, where Mr. Temple worked the soda fountain in a drug store. But he and his brother still found time for mischief, occasionally involving the reclusive Baby Doe.

"One adventure they really enjoyed was floating down the creek on abandoned mineshaft doors and terrorizing old lady Tabor," recalled Mr. Temple's nephew Pat Temple. "She would rattle (off) a few choice words and wave her shotgun, but the brothers knew she had no ammo."

Mr. Temple graduated from Leadville High School in 1940. Soon after, he enlisted in the Navy, serving on the USS Tennessee and the USS Denver. He participated in some of the war's toughest battles, including Leyte Gulf, considered by some the largest naval battle in history.

He often spoke of witnessing MacArthur's famed 1944 visit to the Philippines - a story he told with a twist. He claimed that the event, which resulted in a famous Life magazine photo of MacArthur wading to shore as if caught spontaneously by the photographer, required days of advance work from servicemen, "who spent thousands of hours preparing the perfect slope for the general to walk ashore," said Pat Temple.

"It was an orchestrated thing. Here comes Doug with his sunglasses . . . My father was just amused," said Jim Temple. (Whether or not the photo was staged is a source of dispute among historians.)

After the war, Mr. Temple attended Colorado State University, dropping out to help with his father's business, "Leadville Ice and Coal." It was hard work.

"Dad would unload a boxcar of coal or two every week by hand. He had arms like you can't believe," said his son.

Mr. Temple married Julie Lenarchie in 1950. Using skills he learned in the Navy, he became an electrical lineman and troubleshooter with Public Service Company of Colorado, often called to work during emergencies.

The couple had two sons, eventually moving the family to Fort Collins, where two more sons were born and Mr. Temple continued his trade. Throughout his life he enjoyed fishing, home renovation, skiing and the Broncos. He also loved telling stories and sneaking sticky notes with funny captions onto family photos.

And he adored a Russell terrier he named Ike, after Gen. Eisenhower - a fact the family found ironic. While members note that Mr. Temple was a gentle man who never hunted or harmed anything after the war, they can't say the same about the dog.

"He was the most ornery dog in the world," Linda Temple said with a chuckle.

Mr. Temple was preceded in death by his wife, Julie, and his brother, Jim.

In addition to son Jim (wife Linda,) of Fort Collins, he is survived by sons John Temple (wife Elizabeth), of Denver, Joe Temple (wife Sherrie), of Fort Collins, and Jeff Temple, of San Diego; four grandchildren; and eight nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held Feb. 22. Donations can be sent to St. Joseph's Catholic Church or the American Lung Association of Colorado, 5600 Greenwood Plaza Blv., Greenwood Village, CO 80111.

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