John Edgar Meeks

John Edgar Meeks, age 65, died on Sunday, March 13, 2011, at Vanderbilt University Hospital of complications from leukemia. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Marilyn Gates Meeks, three sons, Marcus (Rachel), Matthew (Libby) and Ben (Patrice), and two grandchildren, Nora and Graham. Survivors also include his sister Joyce (Tom) Upchurch and brothers Douglas (Blair) Meeks, Jr. and Robert (Sherry) Meeks, as well as many nieces and nephews. John was born in Memphis and graduated from Central High School, where he was captain of the football team during the 1962-63 season. He played football at both the University of Tennessee and Rhodes College before being drafted into the Army. He served with the 35th Combat Engineer Battalion in Vietnam in 1966-67. After returning from Vietnam, John earned his B.S. and M.A. in history from The University of Memphis. He taught history and coached football and girls track at Collierville High School in Collierville, Tennessee, for seven years. In 1983, John joined the district office of Shelby County Schools, where he served as Director of Purchasing and Warehousing. John received his M.Div. from Memphis Theological Seminary in 2000 and was ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church in 2003. He pastored the United Methodist churches in Moscow and Rossville, Tennessee, and St. Matthew’s in Memphis. Most recently he served as the pastor of Andrew Price Memorial UMC in Nashville. John served as an Alderman on the Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen from 1981 to1996. He was also active in Kairos Prison Ministry for many years. A Service of Death and Resurrection will be held at Collierville United Methodist Church on Saturday, March 19, at 2:00 p.m., with visitation at Collierville Funeral Home from 5:00 to 8:00 on Friday night. A memorial service will also be held at Andrew Price Memorial UMC in Nashville on Saturday, March 26 at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Andrew Price Memorial United Methodist Church or Kairos Prison Ministry International.

Collierville Funeral Home

901-853-2628

www.ColliervilleFuneral.com