John Walter McCrary

John McCrary, 65, passed away unexpectedly on September 6, 2022. He was a loving and deeply devoted husband and father. John was born to the late Walter and Irma (Giordano) McCrary on November 20, 1956 in Pinckneyville, Illinois. He attended St. Bruno Catholic School and graduated from Pinckneyville Community High School. In 1975 he started what would be a life-long career in printing. He loved to tell the story about how he kept all of the first edition Marvel and DC Comic Books he helped to print only to have his mother sell them at a garage sale years later for a nickel a piece while he was at work. He moved to California in 1984 where he met his best friend and lifelong partner, Tina (Probst) McCrary, as he liked to say, “the old fashioned way - in a bar.” John and Tina left California after their son, Tyler, was born and continued to progress through the ranks in the printing industry in Madison, WI, Dyersburg, TN, and Cincinnati, OH before settling in metro Atlanta in 2002. They discovered their “happy place” at Lake Oconee in 2010 as week-end residents until they moved full-time in 2020. John said he felt at home for the first time since leaving Illinois when they settled in Sebastian Cove and was looking forward to retiring in 2023. He could tell you the name of every dog in the neighborhood and where they lived even if he didn’t know the owner’s name. His recent passion was learning to play pickleball where he was labeled “Fast John.” John never sat still which earned him the nickname “Zippy” from Tyler. He was always taking care of things around the yard, “piddling” around the house, or playing with his rescue dog, Nala. He was fun loving and always the first to volunteer to get up onstage or dress up in a costume - the zanier, the better. He loved traveling and exploring new places as long as he wasn’t required to sit still for too long, which is probably why he preferred hiking in the mountains to sitting on a beach. Nothing brought him greater joy in life than the time spent watching Tyler play sports or teaching his “kids” how to water ski for the first time. John is survived by his wife of 33 years, Tina; son, Tyler (Kirsten); sister, Nancy McCrary Wickler (John), and countless friends and extended family. A celebration of life will be held on September 18th at 1pm at Oconee Brewing Company in Greensboro, GA.. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at https://www.williamsfheatonton.net for the McCrary family. To honor his memory, please make a donation to your local humane society.

John Walter McCrary

November 20, 1956 - September 6, 2022