John Beard

John Howard Beard passed away peacefully at his home in Germantown after a long battle with cancer. John fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith, and is now reaping his reward in Heaven.

He was married to his beloved wife, Lezlee (Dabbs) Beard of almost 19 years. They have one son, Hudson Cotton Beard, who is 15 years old.

John grew up attending Beaverdam Springs Church of Christ in Centerville, where he wrote in his journal about having such great childhood memories, and Sundays were all about church, family and food at his Grandma Talley's house. He also attended Gordonsburg Church of Christ in Hohenwald on Wednesday and Sunday nights before moving to Knoxville to attend graduate school. While in Knoxville, he was a faithful member of Ault Road Church of Christ, then West Valley Church of Christ where he made many lifelong friends. Southside Church of Christ was his and his family's church home for six years where they were loved and cared for and met many more lifelong friends.

After leaving Shelbyville and moving to Valparaiso, Indiana for John's work with MonosolRX, they attended church at Vale Church of Christ. The family moved back to their beloved Tennessee where John worked as a Manufacturing Engineer II in Product Trauma for Smith and Nephew. When first moving to Germantown, he lived with Sequoia and Herbert Henson, whom he loved very much, and they took great care of him until his son finished fifth grade and Lezlee and Hudson could join him in the Memphis area. While living with them, he attended Great Oaks Church of Christ in Cordova.

After moving to Germantown, John and his family found a church home at Germantown Church of Christ. Much like Southside, the minute John and his family walked into this church family they knew they had found their place to serve, love God, and a group of Christians who love and care for each other and cared for them with such love and generosity while John fought his battle with cancer.

John graduated from Nashville Tech with an associate's degree in architecture, graduated from Austin Peay University with a bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, and furthered his college career by graduating from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a Masters in Textile Science and Non-Woven Polymers.

John put God first, his family and friends second, and everything else after that. He was loved for his kind smile, his goofy sense of humor, the way he never met a stranger and treated everyone with love and respect. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed riding bicycles with his son and nephews, fishing, canoeing, and taking his niece on special outings.

He shared a love of cars and they were discussed often with his "little" brother, Trysten Sherwood, along with their faith in God. He and his "big" brother, Chris Bobo, loved UT football and talked about football, music, and their shared faith in God.

In addition to his wife and son, he is survived by his parents, Gary and Norma (Talley) Beard; a sister, Shelia (Keith) Plunkett; aunts, Lucille Talley and Orpha Easley; uncle, Howard (Christine) Talley; mother-in-law, Linda Cotton (Jerry) Basinger; father-in-law, Larry (Janice) Dabbs; brothers-in-law, Lincoln (Tiffany) Dabbs and Lantz Dabbs; nephews, Neison Dabbs, Avery Dabbs, Cooper Dabbs, Macartney Dabbs and Knox Dabbs; niece, Emery Dabbs; and many loving cousins.

He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Uel B. and Lillie (Canady) Beard and Britt and Alice Mae Talley; grandparents-in-law, Alton Lee and Bernice Virginia (Peevyhouse) Dabbs and Marvin Eunice and Martha Vera (Dunn) Cotton; uncle, Rex Talley, Paul Talley and Monroe Talley; and aunt, Opal (Talley) Whittle.

If anyone would like to give a donation in memory of John, his favorite charities he donated to were the church of Christ Disaster Relief Fund and St. Jude's Children's Hospital. There is also an education fund set up for Hudson and any donation can be made at any Regions Bank referencing account #5267.

Funeral service was held at 1 p.m. June 19, 2020 in the McDonald Funeral Home chapel. Burial followed in the Charles L. Nickell Memorial Park.

McDonald Funeral Home in Centerville assisted the family with arrangements.