John Charles Wofford

John Charles Wofford of Linville, N.C. passed away July 25, 2019.
John was a loving husband, father, son, brother, grandfather and great grandfather. He was fortunate enough to spend the last 12 years of his life with his beloved wife Judy in the mountains of western North Carolina, which were dear to him from the time he was a boy. John was born and raised in Johnson City, TN. He attended Asheville School and played varsity football each of his four years there.
He graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in Engineering. While there he played soccer and joined the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
John worked for the Stanley Furniture Company in Martinsville, VA and then DuPont de Nemours, Inc., where he was employed for over 30 years, until he retired.
While living in Martinsville, John met and married his first wife, Norma Nelson Amos. Upon their marriage, John adopted Norma’s three sons, Doug, Dean and David and raised them as his own.
John and Norma were happily married for 34 years, until her passing in 2002.
They moved to Wilmington, NC in 1972. They raised their family in Wilmington, where they enjoyed spending time on the beach, boating and being with their many friends. Although they lived at the beach, John’s heart was always in the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee and Linville, North Carolina; where his family vacationed when he was a child.
John and Norma returned to the Linville area in 2001. John cared for Norma throughout a long illness until her death; exhibiting the kind, generous, Christian ideals that guided him through all his days.
John was blessed to have a second season in life, when he met and married Judy Violet, of Massachusetts on December 30, 2006. John was welcomed into Judy’s family by her two sons, two daughters and 13 grandchildren, who loved him dearly. John and Judy spent many happy years tending the gardens at their home in Linville, being a part of the Land Harbor community, where they had many friends, and travelling broadly. They visited Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and travelled extensively throughout the United States.
John was a dedicated servant of Christ, in both the Episcopalian and Catholic churches. He raised his sons to be Christian men and instilled the best parts of himself in them.
He was a tireless volunteer at every church he attended. He never missed an opportunity to donate blood and he was always willing to help those in need. Most recently he was a volunteer at Canon Memorial Hospital.
Of all his accomplishments, besides his loving and diverse family, John was most proud of his sobriety. John gave up alcohol on August 26, 1989 and never had another drink. 2019 marked his 30th year of being sober, with each day of those 30 years representing a deep and loving commitment to the well-being of himself, his family and his love of life.
John is survived by his wife Judy Violet; his sons John, David, Dean and Doug; his daughters-in-law Ellen, Kathy, Suzanne, and Joan; his step brother Jon R. Hall; his grandchildren Charles Parker, Connelly Dyson, Arthur, Allie, Anderson, Charlie, Kelli, Katie, and Haileigh; and his great-grandchildren Liam, Wren, and Nora; his stepsons, Michael and wife Jean, and Peter and wife Jen; his stepdaughters, Karen and her fiancé Len, and Kristen and her husband John; and 13 step-grandchildren, William, Caitlin, David, Meghan, Shannon, Maia, Johnny, Ava, Jacob, Katie, Eren, Aubrey, and Morgan.
John is preceded in death by his father Charles Parker Wofford, his mother Helen Dyson Wofford, his sister Mary Wofford Hathaway, his step-sister Becky Hall, and his first wife, Norma.
The family of John Charles Wofford will receive friends from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM on Tuesday, July 30, 2019, at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Linville, North Carolina. A funeral service will be held the following day, July 31, 2019, at 12:30 PM at St. Bernadette. A graveside ceremony will be held that day at 3:00 PM at Monte Vista Memorial Park in Johnson City, Tennessee. A reception is to follow afterward at the Johnson City Country Club, 1901 E Unaka Ave, Johnson City, TN 37601.