John Hamner Cole

He was the brother of Eloise Hatfield and Clara Findley, both deceased. He leaves to enjoy his memory his wife, Virginia Louise White Cole, his son, Jonathan Pelham Cole, his daughter, Mary Rebecca Cole Burnette, his son-in-law Robert Dean Burnette, and his one and only grandchild, Jackson Cole Burnette, all of Chattanooga. He also leaves a brother, William Wesley Cole, Jr. and his wife, Joan, of Naperville, Illinois, several nieces and nephews. He was a delightful and loving man whose family adored him. He was funny, and he was opinionated. John was a lifelong fan of University of Alabama football. SEC football was one of the great pleasures of his life. He would want to say, “See you later” to so many people that he found interesting and good, to all his relatives around the country, to all the people he knew and grew up with in St. Elmo, to his friends in the military where he served in Germany in the post WWII American Army of Occupation, to the people he worked with through the years, and to the friends he made while owning and operating Valley Superette in Tiftonia, also to the friends he enjoyed on the internet. He was a loyal member of the Ault-Pacesetters Sunday School Class of First Centenary United Methodist Church. And, last, but not least, he would say good-bye to all of his neighbors in East Ridge. He loved living among them.

John was an avid reader, particularly of history. He was a collector of old radio tapes and records which he listened to frequently. He loved to travel and had done so widely in Europe (Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Italy and Greece). He loved his retirement years, having retired from Tag Distributors in 1996. He had the opportunity of helping to transport his grandson, Jackson, from school during his younger years. He loved that. He was always busy in retirement. He loved keeping the yard nice. He could never understand why people did not enjoy retirement.

His family says, “We love you. “ You taught us about contentment and unconditional love. You were and are the best.

A graveside service will be held on Tuesday at 10:00 am, September 19, 2017 at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm Monday at the funeral home. The family request no flowers and asked that contribution s be made to a charity of your choice.

Please share your memories of John with the family at www. Chattanoogaeastchapel.com.

Arrangements are by Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, East Chapel, 404 S. Moore Rd., East Ridge, TN. 37412.