John Horace Beauford Jr.

People called him Pony as a child because his dad was named Horace, and if you said that fast, it sounded like Horse. As the first-born male, John was the Pony of the family. He owned this moniker into adulthood and personified it…with courage, freedom, confidence, and silent strength. Then his children came along, and he was obviously Dad, but his favorite and most fitting title was Pop. And he was one of the best grandfathers, full of life lessons and figures of speech to share and pass on for generations to come.

Before anyone was ready, John Horace Beauford, 79, passed away peacefully after a life very well lived at his Memphis home on August 29th, 2022.

John was born in Abbeville, South Carolina on July 25th, 1943 to parents Horace and Nell Purser Beauford alongside his siblings Robin Fincher (Steve), Rene Beauford and Ron Beauford (Cheryl) (deceased). He is survived by his whole world and wife of 35 years Barbara Beauford, and he was extremely proud of his six children Susan Beauford, Shannon Kanner (Joey), the late Sharmin Beauford, Diana Galdieri (Mike), Angela Christian (Craig), and Bobby Barnes (Kim). From them, he was blessed with 11 grandchildren: Josh, Alexa, Nell, Slade, Vera, Cora, Christopher, Elizabeth, Andrew, Alex and Allison and several great grandchildren.

If you knew John, you quickly figured out he was a quintessential giver. He was prompt to help absolutely anyone in need and offer the shirt off his back or his (probably clean) handkerchief. He lent tools, trucks, and tractors without blinking. You had a flat tire? He was on the way! John tenderly bottle-fed calves whose mothers had died, and he rocked the crying grand babies to sleep. He even drove his neighbor in labor to the hospital during a blizzard on his tractor so she could have the baby safely. That was John, steady in strength and always available.

He was also quite talented. Of course, he could operate farm equipment and rope and ride horses. But John also had his private pilot’s license and was a certified charter boat captain. He even worked on the railroad back in the day. This taught his children and grandchildren to always dream big and that you can be anything you want to be with the right work ethic and perseverance.

Most of all, John loved being a grandfather. He spent his final days playing with and caring for his youngest, and he had so much to teach them about values and life. In his free time, he was an avid hunter who was passionate about knives and firearms new and old; he was a lifetime member of the NRA. As a true outdoorsman, he was also very fond of any type of fishing. John appreciated a smooth whiskey on the rocks, a fancy pair of cowboy boots, reading long books, handshake deals, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, daydreaming, arm-wrestling his daughters’ boyfriends, all dogs, and rambling around the countryside in his Jeep with his pride and joy Barbara. He will be sorely missed to say the least.

The family will be hosting a celebration of life at Germantown Presbyterian Church on Friday, September 2nd at 11am. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at https://www.stjude.org/give/memorials-and-dedications.html.