John Abernathy
Mr. John Abernathy, 79, a resident of Union City, died June 13, 2026, at Magnolia Ridge in Union City.
Services were held at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, June 18, 2026, at East View Cemetery.
White-Ranson Funeral Home was in charge of services.
Mr. John Abernathy was born to the late Ned and Anne Abernathy on Oct. 29, 1946, in Arkansas. Growing up, his father worked for Lionel Oil Company and in 1960, the family moved to St. Louis, Mo. After graduating from Parkway High School, John attended William Jewell University. His focus at the private school was Botany.
In 1964, John and his best friend decided to join the U.S. Coast Guard. While in the Coast Guard, John quickly moved up ranks from Seaman to Petty Officer. For three years, he traveled up and down the Atlantic Ocean as a cook in a 110-foot tugboat called the “Mohican.” In 1971, he moved to Louisiana and met his future wife, Eloise Stokes. That same year, he also ran his own landscaping business called “Classic Landscape.” John was in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves and a business owner until 1975. That year, he decided for a change of scenery and moved back to Missouri. He worked as a Dining Room Manager for the “Baptist Convention” and served approximately 1,000 people a day. After two years, he went back to landscaping.
In 1992, John moved to Florida and became a 1st Mate and Chef on a private yacht called “Kats Meow.” Two years later, he moved to his now home of Tennessee. John continued to design landscaping for the next 20 years. He decided it was time to retire in 2014. He was a resident at Magnolia Ridge in Union City, and still had a passion for plants!
The Messenger