John’s early years were on a small rural farm in Sylvania, Alabama, where he longed to see the world. He enlisted in the United States Navy at age 17 and stationed on the U.S.S. Richard B. Anderson (DD876) during the Korean War. He was a barber, and was later employed by DuPont where he retired after 33 years of service. He was a member of Lupton Drive Baptist Church and in later years, Oakwood Baptist Church. His favorite hobby was gardening. Vacationing in Hawaii and Alaska were some of his most memorable times.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Floyd Newton and Mary Elizabeth Ragsdale; brother, Isaac Ragsdale; sisters, Margarete Ragsdale, Hazel Haymon, and Irene Parker.
Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Martha Peek Ragsdale; sons, Mike (Babs) and Lee Ragsdale; sisters, Sue (Don) Bowman and Ann Land; grandchildren, Ryan (Amanda) Ragsdale of Lincoln, NE, Brittany (Shaun) Patterson, Blake, Haylee, and Kylee Ragsdale; one great grandson, Haze Patterson; several nieces and nephews
Visitation will be at Chattanooga Funeral Home North Chapel, Thursday, February 11th from 12:00PM to 2:00 PM. The family will hold a private service at Chattanooga National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project www.woundedwarriorproject.org/Donate or the American Red Cross www.redcross.org/donate/donation.
