John P. Pollinger Ii

John Paul Pollinger, II, 66, of Lake Charles passed away peacefully in the comfort of his home surrounded by his family following a long battle with cancer.

John was a native of Cape Canaveral, Florida and raised as a military child. He moved many times, and upon graduation, he joined the United States Army himself to begin his own adventure. After his time in the Army, he enlisted in the United Sates Army on June 1, 1975. His basic training was at Fort Benning, Georgia, and then infantry training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. After attaining the rank of Sargent, he was selected for Ranger training. He served 5 years in Europe with the 509th airborne, returning to Fort Bragg. In June, 1983, he took part in the invasion of the island of Grenada in which he was awarded the Purple Heart. In December 1989 he was involved in Operation Just Cause in Panama, where he was awarded the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for being wounded in action. John concluded his career in the United States Army after being transferred to Fort Polk (now Fort Johnson), Louisiana where he was medically discharged from active service at the rank of Sargent First Class.

After his career in the military, John became a licensed motorcycle mechanic, a passion he shared with his daughter. He loved riding his Harley Davidson with his friends and even made trips to Sturgis, South Dakota every summer. John met the love of his life and married Debra Hebert on December 12, 1992. In August of 1993, they welcomed Lindsay Marie Pollinger into their young family, despite being told he would never be able to have children.

John was preceded in death by his parents, John and Ruperta Perez Pollinger and brother in law, Carl Cole. He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife of 30 years, Debra Hebert Pollinger; daughter, Lindsay Maria Pollinger; sister, Linda Cole; brother, Jerry Pollinger and wife Jamie; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family of the heart.

The family requests memorial be made to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486 or to MDAnderson.org.

Visitation will be from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM on Wednesday October 11, 2023 and will continue on Thursday October 12 from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM at Johnson Funeral Home of Lake Charles. A celebration of his life will begin at 11:00 AM at the funeral home. In accordance to his wishes, cremation will follow services.