John was born on April 4, 1941 in Greenville, Mississippi, the son of John Ellis Rivers, Sr. and Gladys Gibbs. He attended school in Leland, Mississippi and graduated from Chamberlain-Hunt Academy in Port Gibson.
He lived in Memphis, Tennessee for many years where he served as purchasing manager for Tri-State Mack. He moved to Northwest Arkansas in 1979 where he owned Safe-T-Brake and Muffler until his retirement.
John was an automobile enthusiast and was the owner of numerous classic automobiles. In retirement, he was an avid social media participant and had many friends on Facebook.
John is survived by his wife of 55 years, Barbara Ann Rich Rivers and a loving daughter, Lisa Carol Rivers of Bentonville, Arkansas; a sister, Nancy Carol Rivers of Asheville, North Carolina; two brothers, Robert Hayward Rivers of Hermitage, Tennessee and William Gale Rivers of Colleyville, Texas; an extended family of 4 nieces and 2 nephews; and a close family friend, Roxanne Birchfield.
A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, October 27, 2018 at 2pm at Rollins Funeral Home in Rogers, Arkansas.
