J.C. Peoples

When J.C. Peoples walked into the room, those in his company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who J.C. was and how he impacted those around him. J.C. was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if J.C. wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. J.C. was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve him well throughout his life.

J.C. was born on September 5, 1933 in his parents home in Fayette County, Alabama. He was the son of Felix and Minnie Peoples. J.C. was raised in Corona, Alabama. Always at the ready with a good joke, he grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew J.C. might describe him as an idealist, his friends and family understood well that J.C. was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to him.

J.C. was raised with four siblings. He had two brothers Edward and Ottis and two sisters Laverne and Ruth. J.C. was very accepting and supportive of his family. Although he spent most of his childhood away at school, when he was home, J.C. brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served J.C.well in his adult life and, along with his wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew him.

As a young boy, J.C. was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew him into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. J.C. was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with his peers. He was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. J.C. enjoyed all sports. He was a hard worker and helped with farming and out in the field with his father. J.C. had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity he and the many childhood friends he shared might discover.

During his high school years, J.C. responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. He left from The Taladega School for the Deaf in 1950. J.C. was a very good student, and generally did well in his courses. J.C.absorbed as much as he could from all of his teachers and was consistently able to tackle problems, using his imagination to master his assignments. For J.C. school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to his ability to turn just about anything into a game.

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought him an endless stream of friends, J.C. was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, J.C. was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. He always seemed aware of what was going on with people around him and throughout his life he made many, many friends. Later in life, he became close friends with Harry Greer, Hugo Horn and Barbara Squires, to name a few.

On November 24, 1978 J.C. married Sharon Lee Fickett at Miramar Naval Chapel of San Diego, California. This was J.C.'s second marriage. His first marriage was to Jewell Gilliland, with whom he had 4 beautiful children. J.C.'s skill at “building bridges” played an important role in his ability to make his family happy. He was quite sensitive towards his family's needs, showing his constant concern and fondness. J.C. was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served him well in helping to nurture his family.

J.C. was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide his family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For J.C., parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of his life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Peoples home. J.C.'s skill at understanding his children's feelings, his sensitivity to their needs, and his gift for gentle persuasion enabled him to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. J.C. was blessed with five children; 4 with his first wife and one with his second wife: in total, two sons, J.C. Jr. and Ted and three daughters, Patty, Tracy and Sheena. He was also blessed with twelve grandchildren, Shoshanna, Jason, Jacob, Matthew, Sarah, Summer, Dillon, Jordan, Jewell, Robin, Ronnie, and Melissa.

J.C. was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made him an exceptional worker. His primary occupation was automotive technician of foreign cars. He was employed for 39 years. J.C. was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize him. J.C. had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of his gift for insight. J.C.' s fellow workers saw him as a supporter and a mentor.

Because J.C. loved to have a broad variety of activities in his life, he took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. His favorite pursuits were watching sports and playing cards. J.C. had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of his favorite pastimes. However, J.C.'s ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

J.C. derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. His charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. In high school, J.C. played all sports. Recreational sports included bowling as he got older. Since J.C. was something of a sports fan, he enjoyed watching his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were football, baseball, and basketball.

Throughout his life, J.C. was actively involved in deaf community organizations. He was compassionate, accommodating and quick to move into action. Always able to build a consensus, J.C. seemed to be the person smack dab in the middle of things, working to get things done. Those who had the opportunity to work with J.C. usually agreed that when you were involved in an organization with him, it was as entertaining as anything you could imagine. Throughout his later years, J.C. was an active member of the senior club and went every Thursday.

Because J.C. was constantly in the center of things and where the action was, he always seemed willing to join in and help, regularly getting involved in community activities. J.C.'s gift of planning and improvisation, along with a talent for rallying support, made him a great asset. J.C. found new ways of getting things done in order to help make just about every activity more efficient and enjoyable. J.C. political stance was a democrat.

J.C. was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was Baptist and attended church every sunday as a child. He was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and he used these qualities to the fullest.

J.C.'s love of improvising in his daily life was a perfect fit for his enjoyment of traveling. His favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit his personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, J.C. took his vacations seriously, well, as seriously as he possibly could. Favorite vacations included Las Vegas and anywhere there were bowling tournaments.

J.C. was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. Whiskey, a German Shepherd dog, was a best friend for several years. His family was rounded out by his daughter's cat, scuttle.

When J.C.'s retirement finally came in 1990, J.C. handled it the way he usually did. He adapted and, like everything in his life, made it satisfying. Because he was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for J.C. to master. His new life involved staying in San Diego, California. In retirement, he found new pleasure in being with family and friends and bowling. He even won many bowling trophies and plaques. Even in retirement, J.C. continued to stay in touch with his old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

J.C. Peoples passed away on April 5, 2010 at Balboa Nursing and Rehab in San Diego, California. He fought a long battle against Parkinson's Disease. He is survived by his wife Sharon, his children Patty, J.C. Jr, Tracy, Ted and Sheena; twelve grandchildren and his brother Ottis. Services were held at Merkley-Mitchell Mortuary.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to J.C. he was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. He had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While he was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to J.C. Peoples for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. J.C. was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with his loved ones. J.C. touched the lives of many and he will be greatly missed.

"Say not in grief he is not more, but live in thankfulness that he was."

Arrangements under the direction of Merkley-Mitchell Mortuary, San Diego, CA.