July 5, 1950 – February 18, 2021

John Bruce Hitchcock, 70, of Seattle, died Thursday, February 18, 2021.

He was born to the late John and Rebecca Hitchcock, July 5, 1950, in Coulee Dam, Washington.

John graduated from Forks High School in 1968. He studied communications and history while residing in Spanish House at the University of Washington and graduated magna cum laude in 1972.

Most of his career was spent working overseas, beginning as a participant in the International Farm Youth Exchange program, where he spent six months on a farm in Argentina improving his Spanish fluency. John later studied in Bordeaux, France on a Fulbright Scholarship before resuming his education at Ohio University and receiving a master’s degree in linguistics in 1977. From there, John was hired to teach English at the University of Isfahan, departing prior to the arrival of Ayatollah Khomeini.

John then began a twenty-year career as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State in 1980. Over the course of his career, he held consular, management, and policy positions at embassies and consulates in various locations, including Mexico City, Bern, Pretoria, Shanghai, and Geneva.

After retiring from the Foreign Service, John worked as an agent for Costco Travel for a decade, finally retiring in 2017.

John is survived by three siblings, Karen Edens, of Anacortes, Washington, Cathy Hitchcock, of Portland, Oregon, and Mark Hitchcock, of Bow, Washington, and a special friend, Terry Han. He is also survived by two nieces, Lisa Hagar and Stacey Crabtree, and four great-nephews.

Cremation arrangements are under the direction of the Neptune Society. A private memorial service will be held later on Harstine Island.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that memorial donations be made to a charity of your choosing.