PRESTON JOHN, 68, of Crystal River, FL: It is with
a heavy heart that the John & Ellingson families announce
that Preston (Bubba) John passed onto that great country
club in the sky. His membership into heaven began July 9,
2015, after a long battle with a serious illness. Sorry
that many of you missed saying goodbye to him. Preston
was very unique (as we all know): "He did it his way."
The Frank Sinatra Song "I Did It My Way" suits him to
a tee. He had his celebration of life March 20, 2015,
surrounded by his family and friends. As the song goes,
he had few regrets, the only regret he shared was not
spending more time with his daughters & grandchildren.
His nephew said it best, "Rest in Peace, Uncle Tony
Preston John, you lit up every room you walked into
and then the fun began."
From the bayous to the oil fields, to the farm in
Texas, to the old frame switches of Western Electric,
he met his beloved wife GenaVee in Dallas. To the
Magical Kingdom, "to living here in Allentown," to his
lovely home on the Crystal River. He started as a
clerical worker for Western Electric in 1970 and
completed his professional career as a third-level
manager for Agere Systems in 2003. He was respected
and loved at all the facilities. He worked at: Dallas,
TX; Orlando, FL; Hawthorne, IL; Madrid, Spain; and
Allentown, PA.
He was blissfully married to GenaVee for 34 years.
Their lovely daughter, Ashley, son-in-law Jonathan
Chavez and grandson Xander will miss him greatly.
Xander loves swimming in Mimi's pool with her. He
loved sitting in Pop-Pop's lap & giving him kisses
and hugs.
He will meet up with his Mother and Father, Robert
Lee John and Virgie Kate Conner John, in heaven. His
father-in-law, Claude Ellingson, has been waiting for
him in heaven to have a bourbon and scotch together.
His mother-in-law, Janet Leatherwood Ellingson, was
by his side the last four weeks, she will miss him
tremendously and his fabulous chicken and dumplings.
He was previously married to Susan Holley and they
had three beautiful daughters, Melissa McGinty,
husband Greg, Laura Filaroski and Holly John. His
grandchildren, Taylor Filaroski, Mitchell McGinty,
Seth Filaroski, Griffin McGinty and Alek Filaroski
will certainly remember the great times on the water,
boating and fishing. Preston's brother, Conner Lee
John, and wife Janet, living in Commerce, Texas, and
their children and grandchildren will remember him
as the unique uncle they could visit and have a
wonderful time. His sister, Virginia Kate John Tarver,
and husband Don, residing in Jena, Louisiana, and
their children and grandchildren will remember the
great visits we had and the member guest tournaments
they played in Jena. His sisters-in-law and families
with GenaVee will always remember the fabulous family
vacation we had at Panama City Beach in "Christmas in
July" 2013. They will also laugh and reminisce about
the Christmas present, Pepper, in 2007.
His lifelong friends, Billy Ray (Bubba 2) and Lahoma
Venable, will always remember the tremendous fun and
times the four of us shared. It started in Kaufman,
TX, on the farm with Preston living with them. There
were a ton of golf rounds and other trips that they
enjoyed together! Remember the times we had at Holly
Lake and the Masters. Billy Ray has a lifetime of
memories he will always cherish with Preston, his
only "brother. "Our dear friends, Floyd and Karen
Wood, have been by our side since relocating to
Florida in 2004. Remembering all the laughs and
good times we had, especially the last trip to
Daytona Beach, trying to get Preston back up into
the bed.
To his beloved friends from Tawakani Golf Club, Webb
Hill Country Club, West Orange Country Club, Golden
Oaks Country Club, Berkleigh Country Club, & Brookside
Country Club - You will remember all the great memories
and times you had with Preston (aka Bubba 1). He was
one of a kind you will never meet again. He was
infamously known for depleting the halfway house of
all adult beverages during a member guest tournament
when the rain storm set in.
Preston had so many dear friends that it is hard to
acknowledge or name them all! Ed Tanner, Dennis
Bednarski, Ronnie Waldon, Chuck Matheny, Bob Edmonds,
Mary Jansen and others will miss him. Remember the
good times!
Dear, always know that we did it our way! We went
with the plan and it went well. I will miss you
dearly and look forward to reuniting with you in
heaven. Give "Mamaw" and "Paw" a big kiss and hug
for me. I miss them also. Pepper and Smokey are
missing you, too!