John Marshal Grower

John Marshal Grower, a resident at St. Catherine's Village in Madison, Mississippi, died at home on Wednesday, March 23, 2011. He was 86 years old. A funeral Mass celebrating John's life will be held at St. Richard Catholic Church in Jackson on Friday, March 25, 2011, at 11:00 a.m., by Bishop Joseph Latino. The Mass will be preceded by a visitation at the church at 10:00 a.m. A visitation will also be held at the Cathedral of St. Peter The Apostle in downtown Jackson on Thursday, March 24, 2011, at 5:00 p.m., followed by a wake service at 6:00 p.m. Wright & Ferguson Funeral Home High Street is in charge of arrangements.

John was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi on September 24, 1924. He studied engineering at Mississippi State University until joining the United States Navy, serving in the Naval Air Corps from 1942 until 1946. He received his law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1950, and was a partner in the Jackson law firm of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes until his retirement in 1992.

John lived his 86 years to the fullest, guided by his strong and unwavering faith in God, and his unconditional love for his wife, Mary Catherine, and their six children. He was a member of St. Richard Catholic Church from 1950 to the present, and served as a member of the St. Richard Parish Council, St. Richard Catholic School Board and the St. Joseph Catholic School Board. John was a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, a Knight of St. Gregory, and a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He was an ardent supporter of the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Jackson and Catholic Charities of Mississippi, and was honored by Catholic Charities for his charitable works as the 2010 "Man of the Year."

John was preceded in death by his parents, John Andrew Grower and Mary Lucille Lagrone Grower; a son, Patrick William Grower; and a daughter, Janet Elizabeth Grower Subowitz.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Catherine Steinriede Grower of St. Catherine's Village, Madison; daughters, Katie Grower Walley of Brandon, MS, and Judy Grower Reeves of Knoxville, TN; sons John M. Grower of Gulfport, MS and Michael Anthony Grower of Ridgeland, MS, and 10 grandchildren: Marty McCullough McCoy and Bennie McCoy of Lawton, OK; James McCullough and Tammie Myles McCullough of Ridgeland, MS; Katie McCullough McMahon and Scott McMahon of Woodstock, GA; Jean Marie Grower Diggs and Aden Diggs of Williamsburg, VA; John M. Grower, Jr. of Baton Rouge, LA; Patricia Ann Grower Spears and Jason Spears of Baton Rouge, LA; Andrew ("Drew") Reeves and Honor Reeves of Knoxville, TN; Marshall Reeves of Knoxville, TN; Adam Reeves and Tessa Reeves of Polaski, TN; Patrick Grower and Julie Grower of Memphis, TN; 13 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in John's memory to the Catholic Foundation.