John Wayne Aldridge

John Aldridge, beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed peacefully at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta at 2:30 in the afternoon on Sunday, September 22, 2013 after a lengthy struggle with an autoimmune condition known as Wegener's granulomatosis. He was born on March 6, 1945 in Winchester KY and was 68 years old at his passing. He is survived by his wife, Dorinda; sons, Rob, Gabe, and his wife, Sheila; daughter, Hollyfaith; grandson, Atticus; brother, Bob; and many well loved nieces and nephews. He was an active parish leader and served as a sub-deacon at St. John the Wonderworker Orthodox Church in Atlanta. He also served multiple terms as the warden of the parish council. He worked with the parish council to overhaul the parish’s finances and created a funding program that fully paid the parish’s mortgage in five years. He began his 33 year banking career at Fulton National Bank (later becoming BankSouth) in 1964 in the operations division while completing his education at Georgia State University. He continued his education and received advanced degrees in the banking field including a degree from the Banking Schools at LSU, Northwestern and Rutgers Universities. His abilities and diligence helped him rise steadily to become one of Atlanta's prominent bankers while assuming many responsibilities at BankSouth. His versatility allowed him to assume many leadership roles at the bank. He opened BankSouth's first branch in East Point; headed the sales group in the Trust Division; became the bank’s General Sales Manager; and prior to BanksSouth’s purchase by Bank of America, finished his career as President and CEO of BankSouth Securities. He was an active volunteer for the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce serving as the first campaign chairman of the Chairmen’s Committee in 1984. The volunteer campaign headed by John broke all fundraising records for the Atlanta Chamber. That record breaking campaign would serve as the platform for the Atlanta Chamber’s annual campaign which continues to be one of the most successful in the nation. John also served as chairman of the South Fulton Chamber of Commerce working with the local business community. After retirement from banking, he joined the Fremont Development Group as a Senior Vice President, working with chambers of commerce across the country to help raise funds for their operations. He also served as CFO and board member of The SuperGroup Creative Omnimedia, Inc, an Atlanta based creative marketing agency. He was a long time member of the board for Calvary Refuge Center, a shelter for the homeless on the Southside of Atlanta. He served multiple terms as Treasurer and Finance Committee Chairman. John served for eight year as a non-commissioned officer in the Marine Corps Reserves during the Vietnam War. He was recognized as a medaled sharp shooter. Funeral services will be held at St. John the Wonderworker Orthodox Church in Grant Park on Thursday, September 26, 2013. The address for the church is 543 Cherokee Ave., Atlanta, GA 30312. Services will start at 10:30 AM and will conclude graveside at St. Barbara’s Orthodox section of Greenwood Cemetery in southwest Atlanta. The visitation is Wednesday, September 25, 2013 from 6:00PM-8:00PM. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the John Aldridge Memorial building fund at St. John the Wonderworker Orthodox Church at https://www.wepay.com/donations/the-john-aldridge-memorial-building-fund.