John Aniston, soap opera mainstay and father of Jennifer Aniston, dies at 89 By David Walsh
BBC News Published duration 2 July 2019
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The last known US citizen to spend a week in the White House died last week at the age of 89, a family friend has confirmed.
William L. Aniston, who was born in Washington DC, spent one week as a “guest of the White House” in 1962. He had worked as a steward on Air Force One and been invited by President John F Kennedy.
A US congressman from the state of Washington where he was born told the BBC that his death was “sudden and unexpected” after a short illness.
A family friend told the Washington Post: “He just died. He was in good health and he didn’t have a lot to live for.”
Mr Aniston’s father, William L. Aniston Jr, died in the late 1970s but the family told the Washington Post that “we were not told he was sick and dying.”
The son’s death has left many in Washington and outside who were close to him in shock and they are still mourning.
A former colleague wrote: “His smile was infectious and he never once looked down on anyone.
“He was kind, thoughtful, caring, and fun to be around. He was not a talker, he was a listener and a listener with his ear outstretched toward you. He was friendly, loyal and sincere in all he did.”
Mr Aniston, who was married at the time to wife Mary Kaye, was described by the Washington Post as “the youngest White House usher ever to be inducted into the U.S. Navy reserve. He served aboard the USS Franklin Roosevelt in Hawaii, where he helped train the Navy’s first women submarine divers.
“A veteran of the Korean War, he returned to his Maryland hometown in 1952 for an interview with the U.S. Selective Service System. His draft notice arrived within a day of his interview.
“Mr Aniston signed up immediately, saying