John “J.T.” Nation, 86, passed away Friday, Feb. 4, 2005, at the Glenwood Healthcare Nursing Home in Seymour.
He was born April 7, 1918, in Marion, Ky., and was the eldest of three sons.
John married Verna Lee McCaslin in December 1941 in Princeton, Ky., and from that marriage had two sons. They were married for 63 years when she passed away in February 2004.
John enlisted in the United States Army in 1942 and served his country for 20 distinguished years. During World War II he served in France, Belgium, Holland the Netherlands, and Germany, where he was awarded the Bronze Star. John completed his military service in Panama, Indo-China, Japan, Germany and the U.S. He retired from active duty in 1962 as a first sergeant with the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kan.
The family moved to Fort Worth, Texas where he worked for Bell Helicopter until he retired. He and his wife, also resided in Lufkin, Texas; Cheyenne, Wyo., and Dover, Tenn. John moved to Ava in 2000 so he could be near his relatives. John was a gifted artist and had publicly displayed his award winning “mud” paintings on many occasions. He loved to fish, do wood crafts and travel.
John is survived by his brothers, D.A. Nation, of Millford, Mich., and Robert “Bob” Nation, of Ava; his sons, Jerry Nation, of Graniteville, S.C., and John Nation, of Ozark, and their families which include four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at the time of his interment at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Springfield. Cremation services are under the direction of Clinkingbeard Funeral Home, Ava.
