John Allen Marcum

Marcum, John Allen, age 77, passed away Friday, February 18, 2011 at Asbury Place from complications of Parkinson’s disease. A 1952 graduate of Oneida (Tennessee) High School, John served in the Army for two years and then went into a law enforcement career that lasted fifty years. As he worked, he also graduated from Walters State Community College, East Tennessee State University, and ultimately from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a Master of Science degree in Safety Education. In his long career, John served ten years as a Tennessee State Trooper with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and nineteen years as a Special Agent Criminal Investigator for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation with a specialty as a polygraph examiner in the East Tennessee area. After retiring from the state, he then served three years as Chief Deputy for the Blount County Sheriff’s Department with a short stint as acting Sheriff. He then worked for Knox County Process Service and finally as a court security guard in Knoxville’s Federal Court Building. John was privileged to attend the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and other specialized training courses and seminars. He was a member of several community organizations and law enforcement associations including F.O.P. Lodge 36 where he served as President for several years. John is preceded in death by his parents, Rev. William C. and Viola (Smith) Marcum of Oneida, and his brothers, Howard and Lt. Colonel Henry Marcum. Survivors include his wife of fifty years, Betty (Rathbone) Marcum; son, David and wife Rebecca; their son and John’s much loved grandson, Dan; daughter, Anne (Marcum) Pearson and husband, Paul; sister, Wilma (Marcum) Buck; and nieces Terry (Marcum) Barth and Kathy (Marcum) Mathiews, both of Texas. Family will receive friends at Sherwood Chapel on Monday from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM with the funeral to follow at 3:00 PM. Interment will follow the service in Sherwood Memorial Gardens. Arrangements by Sherwood Chapel and Memorial Gardens, 3176 Alcoa Highway.