John Cheshire

Chaplain Dr. John B. Cheshire, Jr., passed away peacefully on April 8, 2011, at his daughter's home in Gulf Breeze, Florida. He was born July 15, 1921, in Thomasville, Georgia, to Rev. John B. Cheshire, Sr. and Roxanna Pack Cheshire. He grew up in Lakeland, Florida, where he graduated form Lakeland High School in 1938. He joined to United States Naval Reserve and trained as a radio operator at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. When World War II began, he was called to active duty and served on a PBY Catalina, the flying boat, until the war's end. After his return, John attended Stetson University, where he met the first love of his life, Barbara Horne. They were married in 1949, and moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where John received his Master's degree in theology from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as pastor of the First Baptist Church in Campbellsburg, Kentucky, before moving to Pensacola to become the first chaplain at Baptist Hospital. John and Barbara had two children, Nancy Reve (deceased) and John (Jack) Thomas. Barbara passed away on Easter Sunday 1955. During his years at Baptist, John founded the Chaplaincy Program, helped to start the Make Today Count Cancer Support Group, and was a charter member of the "Thursday Morning Group" and the Baptist Hospital Credit Union. He took a leave of absence from the hospital to return to the Seminary in Louisville, where he completed his doctorate in Divinity in 1975. He retired from Baptist in 1986. In 1960, John married the second love of his life, Edith McDonald. They had two children, Amy Elizabeth and William Frederick. Edith passed away in 2006, one day after their 46th anniversary. John loved the beach. He loved to crab, fish, hunt for seashells, and entertain family and friends at his beach house. He walked the beach early every morning, picking up litter, shells and treasures. He was once awarded the title "Pensacola Beach Litter Gitter" by the Santa Rosa Island Authority. He and Edith were avid collectors and loved to go to garage, estate, and book sales. John loved bluegrass music, old church hymns, and any music his kids brought home. He loved to play his autoharp at family gatherings and Sunday School. He and his family were members of the Pensacola Beach Community Church, where he taught the Adult Sunday School from 1981 to 2008. He filled in as preacher at the Beach Church when called, and served at interim pastor for many churches in Northwest Florida. John is survived by his children Jack (Kristi) Cheshire, Amy DePew, Fred Cheshire; grandchildren Damon Jackson, John (Moe), James and Jesse Cheshire; and his first great-grandchild John Kevin Cheshire. Also surviving are brother-in-law Tommy Horne, sisters-in-law Mary Ann (Bill) Ballew and Jeannette Steele, and many nieces and nephews. We would like to thank Amy, his daughter, for the fine care she gave him for the past 26 months and nurses Sonya, Orlando, Cindy and Margaret; aide Cindy; our sitters; and Lawrence the social worker, for the fantastic care they gave John over the past 15 months.

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