John T. McPherson, Sr.

                                                John T. McPherson, Sr.                                                  John T. McPherson Sr., 69 of Seaford, Delaware passed away March 23, 2017. John was born in West Grove, PA and spent his childhood on his family owned dairy farm in Nottingham. John graduated from Oxford High school in 1965 and became a police officer for the City of Oxford. John was drafted to the US Army the following summer. After completing basic training in Fort Gordon Georgia he was deployed to Vietnam as a member of the 557th MP company. John served as Military Police and trained as a K-9 officer. A proud member of the "Hell on Paws" 48th scout dog platoon, John served until being honorably discharged in 1968. Upon discharge, John held the rank of SP4(T). John had received the National defense service medal, Vietnam campaign medal, Good conduct medal, Vietnam service medal, and Meritorious unit citation. After arriving home, John returned to his civilian police position as well as working as a security guard at the Nottingham County park. By 1971, John developed an interest in long haul trucking that turned into a 30 year career. Visiting 49 of the 50 states, John saw a lot of beautiful land, navigated severe weather, and met interesting people. In between trips, John met and married his wife Norma Parsons McPherson and made a life together. In 1976, John and Norma moved to Mountain City, Tennessee and raised their children. In 1979, John purchased a long nose Peterbuilt tractor and officially became the "Alimony Express."  By mid 1990s, John met and made a longtime friend in Bill Burrow of Billy Joe Burrow Trucking. They made a lot of memories together and when John and Norma moved to Seaford, Delaware John missed his dear friend and the mountains. John retired from trucking in 2004. John loved watching sports, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. In addition to his wife, John is survived by his daughter, Valerie Horn and husband Buddy, of Seaford, Delaware and son, John Jr. and wife Jennifer, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Two sisters, Irene Delp of Oxford, PA and Rose Kyle of Port Deposit, Maryland, and a sister-in-law Judy McPherson of Quarryville, PA. John's pride and joy were his two granddaughters, Emily and Brenna. John had dozens of nieces and nephews that he loved dearly. John is preceded in death by his parents, Horace and Catherine McPherson, a brother Donald McPherson, a daughter, Jennifer McPherson, and grandson, Anthony McPherson. Patiently waiting and wagging his tail at heaven's gates, will be his beloved dog Derby. For 16 years Derby was by John's side and both enjoyed their trips through the drive-thru together for a cheeseburger and milkshake.  Services will be held at the Mountain City Funeral Home in Mountain City, Tennessee on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at 11:00 AM with graveside service at Reece Memorial Cemetery immediately following, with Military Honors accorded by the Johnson County Honor Guard.  Condolences may be sent to the family through our website at www.mountaincityfh.com