John Thomas Denning Sr.'s Obituary
John Thomas Denning, Sr. 94, of Albemarle, peacefully passed into the joy of his salvation on September 9, 2021, in the comfort of his home. Family will receive friends from 10:00 until the 11:00 celebration of his life on Thursday, September 16, in the Stanly Funeral Home chapel with Pastor Larry Wilkins officiating. Burial will follow in Fairview Memorial Park beside the love of his life, wife Gerry.
Son of the late Wade Fulton Denning and Clara Nell Efird Denning, he was preceded in death by his wife Gerry in 2004, son John in 2015, brother Wade and Sister Nell. Survivors include daughters Anne Myers (Kent) of Richfield and Catherine Sams of Albemarle, son David (Terri) of Mint Hill, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
A retired Wiscassett overseer, he fondly reminisced his football days as Albemarle’s high school quarterback. A WWII US Navy veteran, he served on a destroyer escort and was stationed a year on Guam. He was an avid fisherman, golfer, and hunter with his self-trained bird dog, Joe. With his love for gardening, he harvested, nurtured and planted seeds, taking pleasure in sharing the beauty of his blooms and always acknowledging, “I just put them in the ground; God does all the rest.”
When able, he attended Albemarle First Assembly. Unashamedly he declared his love for God and confessed Jesus as his Savior. Devotion to His Lord was evidenced by his faithful nightly Bible reading, prayers for each member of his family, and in frequent opportunities he found to share the Gospel, “Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and The Life; HE is the ONLY Way through Whom we have a restored relationship with our Father God and an eternal home in His presence.”
The family requests that memorials be made to Hospice of Stanly County, www.hospiceofstanly.org.
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