About Author
Retired U.S. Coast Guard Lieutenant-Commander. Husband. Father. Author.
J. Key Jr.
A life shaped by duty, loss, faith — and the unseen forces that changed everything.
Years of Service
27+
Lt. Commander
Final Rank
Enlisted
1957
Early Life
I was born in the vibrant city of San Antonio, TX, in the late 1930s to a nurturing stay-at-home mom and father who had firm principles.
I began working early, at just twelve, and by sixteen, I had left school behind. At seventeen, I embarked on a journey with the U.S. Coast Guard, a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, beginning a career which would take me through rigorous training and multiple relocations.
Coast Guard Years
I spent the first few years of my journey attending military training schools and transferring from unit to unit.
I scaled the enlisted ranks to Chief Petty Officer before being promoted to Chief Warrant Officer in 1969. Later, after graduating from a special class of Officer Candidate School, I realized my goal of becoming an unrestricted line officer.
My career blossomed after becoming a regular commissioned officer, attaining the rank of Lieutenant-Commander before retiring in 1984.
 HU-16 Albatross No. 7250 |  USCG Seaplane · c. 1950s |
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Personal Transformation
I survived the storms of a turbulent marriage that brought two wonderful children into my life and multiple separations, divorces, and a remarriage.
In 1966, I finally met Marie, the woman who would become my anchor, providing the stability I needed to refocus my life.
Retirement & Loss
After my Coast Guard days, I explored new horizons, working with aerospace companies and later as a District Lighting Engineer for a major lighting manufacturer before transitioning to full retirement in 1995.
Marie and I spent the next thirty years touring the country in our RV in the Summertime, spending our Winters in Continental Country Club in central Florida before relocating to Sun City West, Arizona in 2011. In 2007, we found a cozy little mountain retreat near Flagstaff where we enjoyed the beauty of nature from June to October each year.
Sadly, I lost Marie, the love of my life to an incurable disease on the day after Thanksgiving 2021