He is preceded in death by his first wife of 47 years, Phyllis Kay; his parents, Daisy and John Wilbanks of Dayton, Tennessee; and his brother, Joseph Wilbanks of Lafayette, Georgia.
In 2009 John was elected President of The International Shrine Clown Association and was inducted into The Shrine Clown Hall of Fame in 2013.
John leaves behind a wife, Joan Wilbanks of Orlando, Florida; a daughter, Robin Wilbanks of Atlanta; sons, John Wilbanks (Jamie) of Sharpsburg, Timothy Wilbanks (Leo Martinez) of East Point, and Rodney Wilbanks of Atlanta; granddaughters, Ashley Hjemvick (Joshua) of Turin and Kathleen Wilbanks of Douglasville; and one great-grandson, Holden Hjemvick of Turin.
Funeral mass will be held Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 11:00 am at Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Interment will follow at Westminster Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends at Carmichael-Hemperley Funeral Home in Peachtree City, Georgia on Monday and Tuesday evenings from 6:00-8:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Shriner's Hospitals c/o Yaarab Shrine, 400 Ponce de Leon, Atlanta, Georgia 30308.
