John Avery

John Lewis Avery, age 90, of Canton, Georgia passed away on Thursday, February 23, 2023. He was born on November 14, 1932 at Hamot Hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania. In 1941, he and his family moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he attended Jr. High and High School. John graduated with a degree in economics from the Atlanta division of the University of Georgia. He participated in ROTC and upon graduation, received a commission in the U.S. Army as 2nd Lieutenant. After completing basic officer training at Fort Eustis, Virginia, John was assigned to the 24th Transportation Unit in Ludwigsburg, Germany. For over a year, he served as the Transportation Officer for the United States Army Field Band from Fort Meade, Maryland on their tour of Europe. Following that tour, John participated in two offshore development exercises with the Transportation Corp. Upon completion overseas, he returned to the States and began his career with The Georgia Department of Labor as a statistical technician. Rising through the ranks, he retired 30 years later as the Director of Data Processing.

Throughout his Atlanta years, John attended Gordon Street Presbyterian and Bethany Presbyterian Churches serving both for years as a Sunday School teacher and for the latter, the Board of Deacons and the Pulpit Committee.

Upon retirement, he moved to his beloved North Georgia mountains (Hiawassee) where he purchased a log cabin shell and completed the construction himself. This endeavor led him to becoming an authorized dealer for a Log Home Company.

In August 2020, John moved to a senior living community in Canton, Georgia to be near his chosen family.

His parents, Jane Elizabeth Vath and Sidney Badger Avery and his sisters, Sally Avery and Barbara Avery Olive predeceased him.

His survivors include his niece Stacey Olive Erwin, his great-niece Sydney (Harry) Pool, and his great-nephew, Trippe (Ryan) Erwin. John's adopted family, Robin and Kevin Hornsby, Emily and Bobby, Madison and Doug, Jenevieve and Tommy and the "great-grands": Isla, Harry and Gareth, Mack and Mia, Nolan and Carson, Ruth and Lydia, also survive.

A committal service for John will be held Friday, March 10, 2023 from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM at Georgia National Cemetery, 1080 Scott Hudgens Dr., Canton, GA 30114.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.woodstockfuneralhome.com for the Avery family.