John Walter Sheffield Jr.

John Walter Sheffield, Jr. passed away peacefully on August 25, 2015 surrounded by his loving family. He was born August 7, 1929 on a peanut farm in Colquitt, GA, the son of John Walter Sheffield, Sr. and Cora Houston Sheffield. He attended Miller County High School and North Georgia College before accepting an appointment to the United States Naval Academy where he earned a degree in Engineering in 1951. He served his country as an officer in the United States Navy from 1951-1956 with two years on a destroyer and three years in the Submarine Service. Walter then attended the School of Dentistry at Emory University and the School of Orthodontics at the University of Pennsylvania. For over thirty years he practiced orthodontics in Atlanta. He was active in his profession, serving as President of the Georgia Orthodontic Society, and President of the Southern Society of Orthodontists. He lectured extensively in Georgia and throughout the country on clinical issues and practice management. Later in his career he was an Associate Professor of Orthodontics at Emory University. Walter was also active in his community with years of volunteer service at the Baptist Children’s Home in Waynesville, NC, The Ben Massel Dental Clinic in Atlanta and was a member of the Buckhead Kiwanis Club. He was married for 45 years to his best friend Jane Searcy Sheffield. They enjoyed a good life of travel, golf and spending time between the farm in Colquitt, Lake Toxaway, NC and Atlanta. In addition to his wife he is survived by his children, John Keaton Sheffield, John Walter Sheffield, III, Susan Searcy Sheffield and cherished grandson, Walter Murray Sheffield. He was a kind, sweet father and a brother to three siblings he adored: Rachel Bickley Speicher, Dorothy Sheffield Sammon and Sam Scott Sheffield. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Salvation Army, Peachtree Road United Methodist Church and Lake Toxaway United Methodist Church. A memorial service will be Friday, August 28, 2015 at 11 o’clock at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church.