He is survived by his loving wife of 25 years, Diane Kartheiser-Warner; his mother, Sandra McKim of Conway, AR; his half-sister, Pam Cossey of Greenbriar, AR; uncles, aunts, and several cousins. He has two sons, Ben and Ryan, from a prior marriage.
From the moment John saw his first episode of Adam-12, he wanted to be a police officer. He received a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree in 1979 from Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg. He worked for the Warrensburg Police Department for his first 9 years in Law Enforcement before moving on to the Columbia Police Department for another 27 years of service. For 20 of those years, John was a beloved DARE officer as well as a member of the SWAT team. When the DARE program ended in 2009, John remained in the schools as a School Resource Officer until his retirement from law enforcement in 2014. He went on to work for the Center for Education Safety/Missouri School Board Association until his death.
Visitation is scheduled on Thursday, August 8, 2019 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Memorial Funeral Home, 1217 Business Loop 70 W, Columbia, MO 65202.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to C.O.P.S., 846 Old S. 5, Camdenton, MO 65020 or Columbia Second Chance Animal Shelter.
