John Bagwell Ballard, Sr., 93, of Lilburn, Ga., died quietly Tuesday afternoon, December 10, 2013, at Budd Terrace Nursing Home on the Wesley Woods campus of Emory University, with his family around him. A resilient, personable man, he had lived at Budd Terrace just over four years, surviving several crises and making friends among the caring staff, which exchanged hugs and fist bumps with him, humoring his occasional testiness.
He was born April 28, 1920, on the family farm near Madisonville, Tennessee, and took his middle name from the local physician who attended him.
The Depression and the death of both parents during his teens made his early life difficult. However, it also gave him strength and a strong practical view of life, and he retained fond memories of his family, and life on the farm and in Madisonville.
During the War, he enlisted in the Army Air Force, in which he made his career as a mechanic and flight engineer, retiring with the rank of Master Sergeant.
Also during the War, he met a pretty brunette, Eloise Miles, of Geneva, Al. They soon wed, and when he died, they had been married 70 years and eleven months. They retired to Lilburn in 1970, where they compromised on their final home, giving him a small town setting with a large yard for his garden rather than a farm.
His wife survives, also his son, John Jr., of Atlanta, and daughter, Dale Ann Kelley of Macon; a sister, Catherine Hunt, of Richmond, Va.; five grandchildren: Deborah Diane (Dee Dee) Reilly, Summerville, S,C.; John E. Ballard, Atlanta; Daniel M. Ballard, Auburn, Al.; Emily B. McNearney, Birmingham, Al., and William (Bud) Ballard, Birmingham, Al.; eight great grandchildren and five nieces and nephews.
He was a member of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Tucker.
Bill Head Funeral Homes and Crematory, Lilburn/Tucker Chapel
He was born April 28, 1920, on the family farm near Madisonville, Tennessee, and took his middle name from the local physician who attended him.
The Depression and the death of both parents during his teens made his early life difficult. However, it also gave him strength and a strong practical view of life, and he retained fond memories of his family, and life on the farm and in Madisonville.
During the War, he enlisted in the Army Air Force, in which he made his career as a mechanic and flight engineer, retiring with the rank of Master Sergeant.
Also during the War, he met a pretty brunette, Eloise Miles, of Geneva, Al. They soon wed, and when he died, they had been married 70 years and eleven months. They retired to Lilburn in 1970, where they compromised on their final home, giving him a small town setting with a large yard for his garden rather than a farm.
His wife survives, also his son, John Jr., of Atlanta, and daughter, Dale Ann Kelley of Macon; a sister, Catherine Hunt, of Richmond, Va.; five grandchildren: Deborah Diane (Dee Dee) Reilly, Summerville, S,C.; John E. Ballard, Atlanta; Daniel M. Ballard, Auburn, Al.; Emily B. McNearney, Birmingham, Al., and William (Bud) Ballard, Birmingham, Al.; eight great grandchildren and five nieces and nephews.
He was a member of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Tucker.
Bill Head Funeral Homes and Crematory, Lilburn/Tucker Chapel
John Bagwell Ballard, Sr., 93, of Lilburn, Ga., died quietly Tuesday afternoon, December 10, 2013, at Budd Terrace Nursing Home on the Wesley Woods campus of Emory University, with his family around him. A resilient, personable man, he had lived at Budd Terrace just over four years, surviving several crises and making friends among the caring staff, which exchanged hugs and fist bumps with him, humoring his occasional testiness.
He was born April 28, 1920, on the family farm near Madisonville, Tennessee, and took his middle name from the local physician who attended him.
The Depression and the death of both parents during his teens made his early life difficult. However, it also gave him strength and a strong practical view of life, and he retained fond memories of his family, and life on the farm and in Madisonville.
During the War, he enlisted in the Army Air Force, in which he made his career as a mechanic and flight engineer, retiring with the rank of Master Sergeant.
Also during the War, he met a pretty brunette, Eloise Miles, of Geneva, Al. They soon wed, and when he died, they had been married 70 years and eleven months. They retired to Lilburn in 1970, where they compromised on their final home, giving him a small town setting with a large yard for his garden rather than a farm.
His wife survives, also his son, John Jr., of Atlanta, and daughter, Dale Ann Kelley of Macon; a sister, Catherine Hunt, of Richmond, Va.; five grandchildren: Deborah Diane (Dee Dee) Reilly, Summerville, S,C.; John E. Ballard, Atlanta; Daniel M. Ballard, Auburn, Al.; Emily B. McNearney, Birmingham, Al., and William (Bud) Ballard, Birmingham, Al.; eight great grandchildren and five nieces and nephews.
He was a member of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Tucker.
Bill Head Funeral Homes and Crematory, Lilburn/Tucker Chapel
He was born April 28, 1920, on the family farm near Madisonville, Tennessee, and took his middle name from the local physician who attended him.
The Depression and the death of both parents during his teens made his early life difficult. However, it also gave him strength and a strong practical view of life, and he retained fond memories of his family, and life on the farm and in Madisonville.
During the War, he enlisted in the Army Air Force, in which he made his career as a mechanic and flight engineer, retiring with the rank of Master Sergeant.
Also during the War, he met a pretty brunette, Eloise Miles, of Geneva, Al. They soon wed, and when he died, they had been married 70 years and eleven months. They retired to Lilburn in 1970, where they compromised on their final home, giving him a small town setting with a large yard for his garden rather than a farm.
His wife survives, also his son, John Jr., of Atlanta, and daughter, Dale Ann Kelley of Macon; a sister, Catherine Hunt, of Richmond, Va.; five grandchildren: Deborah Diane (Dee Dee) Reilly, Summerville, S,C.; John E. Ballard, Atlanta; Daniel M. Ballard, Auburn, Al.; Emily B. McNearney, Birmingham, Al., and William (Bud) Ballard, Birmingham, Al.; eight great grandchildren and five nieces and nephews.
He was a member of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Tucker.
Bill Head Funeral Homes and Crematory, Lilburn/Tucker Chapel
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