John Terrell Harper's Obituary
John Terrell Harper 95, of Pahokee, FL, formerly of Dutton, AL, died Thursday, October 17, 2013 at Lakeside Medical Center, Belle Glade, FL.
John and Evelyn Spears met at an all-day church singing at Pleasant view Baptist Church and they were married in 1944 in Rising Fawn, Georgia.
Mr. Harper was in the Army and was a WWII veteran stationed at Craig Field in Montgomery, Alabama and worked as an aircraft mechanic on bombers and supply planes. Quite often, he met the Tuskeegee Airmen. After being honorably discharged, he owned and operated Harper’s Grocery outside of Selma, Alabama until 1968.
Mr. Harper was a member of the Boilermakers Local # 455 in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He was an avid gardener with a passion for landscaping, roses and hibiscus and seeing what would grow and just how big he could get it to grow. In Dutton he was known as “The Blueberry Man”. Because his blueberries were so prolific that he harvested a record 63 gallons of blueberries from eight bushes.
In 2011 he moved to Florida to live with his granddaughter Kiley Harper-Larsen and her husband Nick Larsen. So for the past two years, he has helped Nick farm plantains, pineapples, bananas, papayas, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, pole beans and turmeric.
Mr. Harper enjoyed traveling, especially time with the family in the Florida Keys and he celebrated his 95 birthday with a surprise party and trip to see Auburn beat Ole Miss. He especially loved spoiling his granddaughter’s two dogs, “Sugahbabie” and “Trixie” by slipping them scraps of food any chance he got.
Mr. Harper was preceded in death by his wife Evelyn and son, Jim and all of his siblings.
He is survived by his granddaughter, Kiley Harper-Larsen and husband Nick Larsen, former daughters-in-law, Donna Harper Minter of Huntsville and Shannon McBride Harper of Dutton, also best friend and “good buddy” Raymond (Nelda) Long of Dutton, and a host of nieces, nephews, and loving family and friends.
Visitation for Mr. Harper will be 11:00 AM-2:00 PM, Saturday, October 26, 2013 at Rudder Funeral Home, Scottsboro, AL. Funeral services will be immediately after visitation at 2:00 PM in the chapel.
Officiating will be Bro. Kenneth Higgins, with interment at Chaney’s Chapel Cemetery in Dutton.
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