John F. Healy was born in 1914 in New York. He was the son of Thomas F. Healy and Margaret J. Healy.

John served in the 535th Bomber Squadron, 381st Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Sergeant and Tail Gunner on the B-17 #42-31097 'Mission Belle' during World War II. He died on December 1, 1943, after their mission over Leverkusen, Germany, when their aircraft was hit by flak and attacked by enemy fighters. The airplane was severely damaged, so the crew decided to ditch the airplane in the River Lek between Streefkerk and Nieuw-Lekkerland, Netherlands. During the enemy attack, one member was Killed in Action while two other members, including Sgt Healy, drowned in the river. The surviving members were taken as POWs. Sgt Healy is now buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery, Neuprč, Belgium.