John was born in Chicago IL. in 1967. He lived different places throughout the United States while growing up. Out of all the places he had seen, he said there was nothing like the Tennessee mountains, so this is where he stayed. He graduated from Campbell County High School in 1985. His wife and two sons still reside in Campbell County.
In 1987, John married his first wife. After almost seven years of marriage they divorced. John rceived the most precious gift of his life from this marriage, his first son. He was estatic. You would have thought he was the first dad ever. Everything he did, his son was right under his elbow watching every move his dad made. He was wonderful with children. So patient. This son was 12 years old when his dad was so selfishly taken.
John went to work at Eagle Bend Mfg. in 1989. During the time he was working there , he also went to school and studied Tool & Die. Through the years as he worked at Eagle Bend, he continued to learn everything possible about the place where he worked and their purpose for being there. He was promoted many times and done each job very well. Many of John's co-workers were very close friends who he talked about often. Tooling Engineer was the last job title he held there. John had been at Eagle Bend seventeen years when he was murdered for no reason.
John married his wife Linda in 1994. He was the kind of man that would come home from work, eat supper with family, and then go piddle with something. He was always doing something, working on something, or trying something new. Any spare moment he could come up with, he was hunting, fishing, or four-wheeling with family and friends. John and his wife had twelve wonderful years together before he was so ruthlessly taken away.
Sundays were set aside for going out to eat and then taking the kids to see mamaw and papaw. He was a very traditional man. He loved his parents and valued their oponion and approval. His parents had 38 glorious years with John before he was taken from them with such malice and no concern for others or what our lives would be like without John.
In 2004, he received another precious gift. His second son. And as with the first, he done everything with that baby, from four wheeling, mowing the yard, or wrestling in the floor. He was a wonderful dad. John's youngest son was eighteen months old when his dad was yanked out of his life.
Everyone I know has been afffected by John's absence. His presence was so strong. He can never be replaced nor will he ever be forgotten. They took you from us and that was not their decision to make, but there is one thing that they can't take away and that is our love for you. Our love for you is eternal.
