The Pinecone

A Christmas Story

The Christmas season is a special time for John and Sally Coleman. Their families always celebrated Christmas but in different ways. John’s grandparents hosted their family on Christmas Eve, and with eighteen grandchildren, the group eventually grew to 65-70! Sally’s family, however, believed that Thanksgiving was for eating and Christmas was for rejoicing. “There was always plenty of food for friends and family to ‘graze’ on, says Sally, “but Mother stayed out of the kitchen. I have followed her example!”

Several important events have taken place in John and Sally’s lives during the Christmas season: they met after a Christmas party, became engaged during the Christmas season and moved to Kirby Pines on December 28, 2018.

John’s life began on August 12, 1936 in Memphis, Whitehaven area. “At that time”, according to John, “Whitehaven was country. I lived among lakes and farmland.” John raised calves and slept with them at the Mid-South Fair. He had a worm farm, selling to fishermen. Not only was John industrious, he was a good student. He won science awards, ran track and worked as a “runner” for Mid-South Title Company. “I had to be good”, says John, “my mother was secretary of the school”. 

Following high school, John received a five-year scholarship to Rice University, graduating with a B.A. and B.S. in Engineering. He also received a Navy ROTC scholarship. During college summers, John served as Midshipman on Navy ships and enjoyed the travel. He continued with the Navy for three years, ranking as Lieutenant, Jr. Grade at discharge in 1962. 

Sally (nee Cross) was also born in Memphis and “into a wonderful family” on March 22, 1939. Sally says, “I had a great time at Messick and St. Luke’s Methodist Church. I loved math and debating. I became a ‘talker’ at an early age!” Involved in many school activities such as Student Council and Honor Society, her greatest award was being selected the first “Teenager of the Year” by The Press Scimiter, a Memphis newspaper. She won a trip to New York and Washington which ‘whetted’ her appetite for travel!

Following high school, Sally attended Southwestern College (now Rhodes). “It was a fun time with studying thrown in” says Sally. She was active in many organizations, including AOPi, graduating with a major in English and a minor in Mathematics. She finished school in time to marry John after his first year of active duty in the Navy. 

Sally first met John in 1957 when he came to pick up his sister at Whitehaven Methodist Church Parsonage. John was home for Christmas during his fourth year at Rice. Sally had been at a slumber party there and was waiting for a ride home. John offered to drive her home and Sally accepted. 

The next summer, John called Sally for a date and after dating for some time, John asked Sally to his family’s Christmas gathering. When it came time to have a group picture made, Sally first declined. Then, one of John’s uncles said, “Sally, you need to be in the picture because you are going to marry John and be in our family”. So, she did and they were married on August 26, 1960. They have two sons, Jack and Tommy and one granddaughter, Lilly. 

While in the service, John was stationed in California and Washington State. Sally taught school and they traveled extensively along the West Coast. Also, away from family, Sally says “that it was a great opportunity for them to bond”. They decided to spend their first Christmas alone with Sally cooking. According to John, “Sally went to the grocery store but came home crying”. It seems that the turkeys weighed 20 lbs. and were frozen! So, John saved the day by taking them to Disneyland for dinner. 

Following discharge from the Navy, the couple “happily” returned to Memphis. John started his thirty-year career with Dupont. After seven years, John was transferred to the corporate office in Wilmington, Delaware. The years there were “truly great”, according to Sally. “We had wonderful friends, a spiritually strong church and many wonderful experiences. We played golf and bridge and traveled with friends and family. We benefited from being so close to historical sites.” Sally continued to teach math in an independent school for thirteen years. 

Both John and Sally retired in 1994, John retiring as Corporate Environmental Manager. At that time, Dupont had a Safety and Environmental Consulting Service and John continued part time as a Senior Consultant for six more years. John and Sally became very involved in volunteer work with several community agencies, especially the Pink Palace and their crafts fair. Sally was treasurer and board member for Woman’s Exchange. John became a board member for the Durham Foundation and Alzheimer’s Day Service. He served both along with volunteering for the FedEx-St. Jude Gold tournament for twenty years. He also held membership in the Optimist and Engineer’s Clubs. Both became active in Emmanuel Methodist Church, Sally teaching Bible study for fifteen years. During these years, they traveled extensively, France and Egypt being their favorites. 

John and Sally, along with their beloved rescue dog Louie, moved to Kirby Pines as a “Christmas gift to their children”. They love water aerobics, dancing, trivia and the movies. John reads mystery novels and plays golf, having made three holes in one! Sally assists with Vespers and volunteers in The Blossom shop. According to both, “Kirby Pines is the place to be!”

This Christmas for John and Sally will be different but they will be with some of their family. They wish for all staff and residents of Kirby Pines a “MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPIER NEW YEAR”!

Written by Joan Dodson, Resident, Kirby Pines

Loyal and Faithful

John Davis is an icon for the qualities of loyalty and faithfulness to his country, having served eight years in the Army. Also, he has recently devoted his life to caring for his wife, JoAnn, who is now a resident of The Manor at Kirby Pines. Until the Covid-19 virus changed policy, John spent many hours of his day in the Manor with JoAnn. 

John Davis wears many titles. Not only is he a veteran, husband and father, he is a singer, a Colonel Sanders “look-a-like, and a “teller of tall tales”. You can spot him nightly with a group who gather around the Post Office area after dinner. John refers to this group as “The Liars Club”. When asked if he would be offended by the title of “good ol’ boy”, he said, “No, I’ve been called much worse”. 

John Davis could rightfully be called a “good ol’ boy” as the term is positively used to compliment someone who not only has a Southern background but is considered dependable and loyal to a fault. These are John’s words describing his early life: 

“I was born and raised in the ‘big town’ of Bandana, Kentucky, population 200. If you don’t know where Bandana is, it is located between Paducah and Monkey’s Eyebrow. It was a good place to grow up. I was an unexpected surprise to my parents who were forty-two and forty-four when I was born. I had two older sisters, fourteen and sixteen years older, so, as you might guess, I was a ‘spoiled brat’. We lived on an eighty-five acre farm with a big red barn and a windmill sixty to seventy feet tall. My dad had a trucking business for many years, hauling milk and livestock from three counties to areas as far away as East St. Louis. He let me ride along with him and the saddest day of my life was when school started and I could not go with him. My Dad raised beef cattle and when I was nine years old, he gave me a calf to raise. By the time I went to college, I had a small herd of my own”.

Following graduation from high school in 1952, John entered Murray State College in Murray, Kentucky. He graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration in 1956. John says, “Murray was a great college but I was not a great student”. During his sophomore year, John was invited to go on a blind date with another couple. The girl for John, of course, turned out to be JoAnn. They dated for three years and married on August 25, 1957. Their first son, Rich was born in 1965 followed by another son, Chuck in 1969. They now have three granddaughters. 

After graduating from Murray State, John volunteered for active duty in the Army rather than be drafted. He had joined the Army Reserves during his freshman year in college and achieved the rank of Sergeant. Following basic training, John was assigned to Nike Missile School in Ft. Bliss, Texas. Being newly married, he was happy to remain in the states. However, as luck would have it, his battalion was the first to be sent oversees to Wiesbaden Air Force Base in Germany. Since there was no housing for Army personnel, he and JoAnn made the difficult decision to be separated for the twenty months of the assignment. The trip to and from Germany was on a WWII Victory ship which, according to John, “was nothing more than a big floating bathtub, nothing like the modern ships. I was sick nine days over and twelve days coming back. When we docked in New York, I kissed the ground and promised the good Lord that I would never leave our shores again. These were words I would ‘eat’ almost forty years later”.

Following his discharge from the Army in 1959, John and JoAnn moved to Memphis. John’s first job was with General Electric Corporation. After a year in an apartment, they bought a house in East Memphis. They joined and were active in Mullins Methodist Church. According to John, “We had wonderful neighbors and made a lot of life-long friends with our neighbors and at church”. 

John decided his real interest was in sales and through a friend, became employed with Ortho Diagnostics selling blood typing products to blood banks and hospital laboratories. He would later work for two more companies, Nuclear Medical Labs in Dallas and Hybritech in San Diego. “I had a ball!”, says John. “I loved every minute of it. Because of the travel involved, JoAnn, the boys, and I got to see all but three states. We visited many countries of the world, including trips to Spain and England which JoAnn won by selling encyclopedias. For a school teacher, she was a ‘heck’ of a sales lady. I often wonder how a ‘green’ country boy and a ‘sharp-eyed’ little girl from Kentucky ever got to all of those places”. 

John and JoAnn moved to Kirby Pines in August, 2012 when JoAnn’s arthritis worsened. “Thank God we came when we did! We have been blessed”, says John.

Since moving to Kirby Pines, John has found time to sing with The Entertainer’s Chorus and is frequently a soloist. “I really love singing with the Chorus”, states John. He is also a member of the Men’s Fellowship Group and is currently a Wing Leader. 

To know John Davis is to admire him for his strength and steadfastness. He is truly a “good ol’ boy”. THANK YOU JOHN AND ALL VETERANS FOR YOUR SERVICE!

Written by Joan Dodson, Resident, Kirby Pines