Rev. Dr. John Morrison Case, 82, cherished Methodist minister, went to be with the Lord on November 30, 2018, surrounded by his family at Baptist Hospital in Oxford, MS. John is pre-deceased by parents, Rev. Robert and Leeda Case, brother Rev. Robert Lawrence Case of Reddick, FL, and grandson John Shepherd Case of Franklin, TN. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Ellen, son John Mark Case (Rose) of Franklin, TN, daughter Renee Case Moore (Keith) of Oxford, MS and son Paul Wesley Case (Margot) of Nashville, TN; three grand-children, Wesley, Andrew and Sam, and three step-grandchildren, Steven, Peyton, and Jackson; brother Rev. Martin E. Case (Betty) of Oxford, and two sisters, Naomi Sigler of Dothan, AL, and Sarah Holifield (Tony) of Fayetteville, AR.
Visitation will be at Christ United Methodist Church, 6000 Old Canton Road, Jackson on Tuesday December 4 from 1-3 followed by the service at 3. Burial will follow at Parkway Memorial Cemetery, 1161 Highland Colony Parkway in Ridgeland, MS. A memorial service will be held on Thursday December 6 at Oxford-University United Methodist Church, 424 S. 10th Street, Oxford, with visitation from 1-3 and service to follow.
John Morrison Case was born on February 14, 1936 in Fannin, MS to Rev. Robert E. and Leeda Case. John graduated in 1954 from Central High School in Jackson, where he was president of his senior class, valedictorian, and a star athlete in baseball and basketball and an active member in the choral program. John earned his B.A. in Music with an emphasis on voice from Millsaps College in 1959, during which time he was a part-time Minister of Music at Vicksburg United Methodist Church, where he met his future wife, Ellen, who was in the choir. He played for the American Legion baseball team and earned recognition from Major League Baseball scouts. However, John followed his calling to full time ministry and earned his Masters of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University in 1961. In 1987, John received two honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from Asbury College in Wilmore, KY and Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, MS.
Each of the five churches he served in Mississippi received the “church of the year” award under his leadership. These include McLaurin Heights United Methodist Church in Pearl, Clinton Uunited Methodist Church, Forest United Methodist Church, Central United Methodist Church in Meridian, and Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson, during which time the church grew to over 5000 members. Since his retirement in 2000, he has filled pulpits regularly at various churches in northeast Mississippi. John’s ability to proclaim the great Biblical truths of the Christian faith in a clear, understandable and practical way, always filled with humorous and poignant illustrations, made him a much beloved teacher.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to Oxford Medical Ministeries Clinic, 205 South Commerce Cove, Oxford MS 38655 and Wesley Biblical Seminary, 787 East Northside Drive, Jackson, MS 39206.
