John Jordan Hollins Sr.

November 12, 1932 – January 7, 2016

Nashville, Tennessee

John passed away peacefully in his home on Thursday, January 7, 2016 at the age of 83. He was a true “great American” and a man of honor and integrity. John was a native Nashvillian, son of the late Lunsford Meredith Hollins, Sr. and Laura Boddie Sharpe Hollins.

He is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Carol Sue Vaught Hollins; three children, Laura Gray Hollins, John Jordan Hollins, Jr. (Laura), and Carol Hollins Roden; four grandchildren, Caroline Elizabeth Roden, Jordan Kelly Roden, Meredith Grace Hollins and Emily Bryant Hollins.

Special thanks is acknowledged to LaTonya Webb, her family and her team of caregivers for the compassionate and loving care that they all have given to John in his home over the past few years.

John was a 1951 graduate of Montgomery Bell Academy and a 1954 graduate of Vanderbilt University where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He graduated from Vanderbilt Law School in the “famous” class of 1957 where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and the Law Review.

John began his distinguished law career in 1957 as a prosecutor for the City of Nashville where he handled the notorious Nashville “sit-in” cases. In 1960, he began his career in the Nashville District Attorney’s office where he successfully prosecuted several high profile murder cases. He began his private practice in 1968 at the law firm of Schulman, McCarley, Hollins and Pride. In 1975 he started the law firm of Hollins, Wagster and Yarbrough; later named Hollins, Raybin and Weissman. He practiced criminal defense, personal injury and family law cases until his retirement in 2011.

During the year of 1975, John and his law partner, Ed Yarbrough, represented Jeffrey Womack who was falsely accused of murdering and raping 9-year-old Marcia Trimble. Despite unscrupulous arrests and prosecutions, he maintained the innocence of his client for over 30 years until the actual murderer was convicted on July 18, 2009. Undoubtedly this was his finest legal hour. In 2011, he published the book “The Suspect: A Memoir” that details the tragic events of the Marcia Trimble case as they occurred through his own eyes.

John was a member of the Nashville Bar Association where he served as President in 1974; a member of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

He was a lifelong member of the First Presbyterian Church in Nashville where he served both as a deacon and an elder. In 1962 he argued that African Americans should be admitted as members of the First Presbyterian Church of Nashville. In the early 1980s he was instrumental in achieving for women the right to serve as deacons, elders and become pastors in the church. During his later years, he was a faithful member of the “June Ramsey” Sunday school class which he truly loved.

He had keen memory and at the age 65 years he began memorizing and later writing poetry. He ultimately published three volumes of his poems. He was quick to recite a famous poem, speech or quote. One of his favorites was Winston Churchill’s speech on the beaches of Normandy- “We Shall Never Surrender.”

Later in life he also discovered the beauty and tranquility of Radnor Lake. He began his daily walks around the lake and he loved identifying birds, flowers and animals. Some of his most memorable moments occurred with his grandchildren on the lake trails. The lake will never be the same without him.

Active pallbearers are Richard Bird, Billy Boyers, Bobby Jackson, Kent Kyger, Jim Martin, Jack May, David Raybin, Kelly Roden, Ed Silva, John Wagster, Jim Weatherly, Judge Randall Wyatt, and Ed Yarbrough. Honorary pallbearers include the members of the June Ramsey Sunday school class at First Presbyterian Church.

Visitation will be held at the First Presbyterian Church in Courtenay Hall located at 4815 Franklin Pike, Nashville, TN from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Monday, January 11, 2016. A memorial service will be held in the church sanctuary beginning at 2:00 p.m. with the Reverend Todd Jones officiating. Graveside service at Mount Olivet Cemetery will follow. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to First Presbyterian Church Mission Fund, Friends of Radnor Lake or Legal Aid Society of Tennessee.