John Hoyle Debusk Jr.

He was preceded in death by his parents John H. DeBusk and Mildred Cain DeBusk. He is survived by his daughter Kristi DeBusk Vaughn; sister Kay DeBusk Lenox; nephew Chad Lenox; aunt Madge Cain; and cousins Anne Cain Allen, Carolyn Cain Lovelace, and Linda Cain Ruth.

He attended West High School and graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Engineering in 1981.

Many special lifelong friendships were made while working at ORNL during his co-op years, at GE Healthcare Systems for 35 years, and from being an active member of the Knoxville tennis community for over 30 years. He also had a wonderful friendship through the years with his neighbors, Hal & Nancy.

Along with tennis, he enjoyed boating, meeting his friends for their weekly lunches (oftentimes at one of their favorites, Jacob’s Deli), working on his farm, or just simply sitting on his tractor at the top of the hill admiring the view.

Known for his funny dry wit, he never met a stranger. He was always ready at a moment’s notice to help anyone that he could, always going above and beyond.

The family wants to thank Jenna, a Parkwest nurse, who played an important part in saving John’s life in 2019 and who was a tremendous support to John and to them during his last days, helping them interpret the medical information they were given.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, at 5200 McKamey Road. Enter through the gate and drive to the top of the hill.