Essendon DFO plane crash victim John Washburn excited to visit King Island

THE King Island golf adventure was going to be the highlight of John Washburn’s “trip of a lifetime”.

THE King Island golf adventure was going to be the highlight of Essendon plane crash victim John Washburn’s “trip of a lifetime”.

The 67-year-old retiree from Texas had told his children of his excitement to visit the small island off Tasmania, labelling it as the thing “he was most looking forward to”.

But the family have now been left shattered as their dad will never get to live out his dream.

Mr Washburn was killed along with friends Glenn Garland, Russell Munsch and Greg DeHaven and their pilot Max Quartermain when their King Island-bound plane crashed after takeoff at Essendon Airport.

The King Island golf adventure was going to be the highlight of Essendon plane crash victim John Washburn’s “trip of a lifetime”.

Mr Washburn’s son and daughter, who are due arrive in Melbourne in the coming day, remembered him as an intelligent, hardworking man, who loved his golf.

“He was an excellent father, who was kind and generous and always put his family first,” they said in a statement to the Herald Sun.

“Everyone noted how smart he was and that he worked very hard.

“But he was also at every single sporting event — often as a coach — recital, or play his children performed in growing up.”

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It was his most recent role as a grandfather, or “Pop” as he was known to his two-year-old grandson and three granddaughters aged six, four and seven months, that he “relished” the most.

Holidaying with three close friends and their wives, Mr Washburn had rode rapids on a jet boat and been on a turbo prop plane through the mountains during his travels.

A photo of John Washburn (top row centre) and his family.

John Washburn.

The four deceased men’s wives weren’t on board as they had planned a day trip to the Great Ocean Road while their husbands played at one of King Island’s popular golf courses.

Golf had always played a big part in Mr Washburn’s life, having put himself through a number of golf scholarship programs while studying law at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

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The son of a church minister and nurse, in his younger years Mr Washburn worked several jobs and gambled on games of pool so he could afford to wine and dine his now wife of 45 years Denni.

John Washburn, Glenn Garland, Russell Munsch and Greg Dehaven at Cape Kidnappers golf course in New Zealand. Source: Facebook

He eventually became a successful executive and general counsel at Dallas holding company, Sammons Enterprises, before retiring a few years ago.

The husband and wife had recently moved to Spicewood in Texas, where he lived next door to Russell Munsch, another victim killed in the firey crash.

The US consulate in Melbourne are continuing to assist the family.

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