JOHN D. GADDY
I met John Gaddy sometime in the late 1980s while working with the North
Carolina Department of Correction at Polkton, NC. John came to
work with the NCDOC and was assigned to the second shift which
was my duty assignment also. John was retired from the U. S. Navy
as a Lieutenant and an immediate friendship was developed after meeting
John.John had an unusually dry sense of humor, but the more I got to
know John, he had an excellent sense of humor even thought dry as Kellogg's
Corn Flakes and a very intelligent man, well versed and talented in many
areas! However, I only remember one incident that
John actually laughed out loud, but can't recall what brought that on.
He would crack a grin once in a while, but was serious looking most of the time.
John loved the outdoors, hunting with firearms, muzzle loading aka black
powder,
archery equipment and we quickly bonded having similar interest in
fishing as well.
I helped John put up his heavy hunting ladder stands that required
two people to be safe, but you could put one up by yourself, although at
the risk of personal safety.
Working in a correctional environment requires specialized skills in
managing people and John had decades of experience with the U. S. Navy.
John started his military career; enlisted man first in the U. S. Marine
Crops, but later enlisted/transferred to the U. S. Navy. John worked his
way up through the ranks as an enlisted man, then as a Warrant Officer,
and was promoted to a Lieutenant.
As stated earlier, John knew how to manage personnel and had the
tenacity, temerity and grit not be "water headed"
or conned by the convicts or staff members either.
When the Brown Creek Correctional Institution opened in April 1993, John
transferred to the facility as a Correctional Sergeant and later was
advanced to the rank of Correctional Lieutenant.
John was also a General Instructor certified by the North Carolina Criminal Justice
Standards Commission and later became a Firearms Instructor, whereas I
was already a Firearms Instructor. We spent a good amount of Firing
Range time together at our facility and also helping instruct at other
NCDOC
facilities.
John and myself spent quality time going to our favorite archery dealer
Jim Skipper of Skip's Archery in Indian Trail, NC and would have a meal
together either going or coming back from the archery shop.
John was definitely my best friend, other than my bride aka
Joyce of
course and I
cannot say enough good things about John. Once John retired from
the NCDOC, he started going to church regularly, and gave his heart to
Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. John also taught the adult
Sunday school class at the Polkton Baptist Church and read his Bible
daily. John gave financial support to
his Church and anyone in "real" need. I know this for a fact! When
my bride had her stroke in 2006, John came to our home and gave myself
a sizeable amount of money since at the time, my bride was in between
medical insurance coverage and we were facing tremendous medical bills and
with our Lord's help, paid them off over ten (10) years.
Each Christmas John would either give out gift cards or a very large
box of See's
candy Signature Gift Pack which is expensive. I remember one
year John gave me his Fender flat top acoustic guitar that he was not
using anymore. John and one of his neighbors would come by and I
would get the banjo, Dobro and Fender guitar out and play some songs for
them. Several months ago, I gave that Fender guitar to a young man
at our Church who is learning to play guitar very well and definitely needed a
good quality professional guitar to play and I believe I told that to John
before he got so sick.
We also went to
S & S Graham Archery in China Grove, NC
several times and we both ordered a Matthews Drenalin one cam bow and had good
success with the Matthew Drenalin bow harvesting many deer. We
visited other vendors handling hunting equipment and accessories and
John purchased top of the line stuff! John was first class in all
that he did!
When John stopped hunting altogether in 2018, he gave me a car load
of hunting
clothes; many being high dollar Scent Lock brand from size 3X
to 1X and I donated the larger size hunting clothes to ones that could
use the larger sizes.
John retired from the NCDOC a good many years before myself, whereas I
retired in March 2012 and retirement is the best
"full time job" I have ever
had............grin if you must. Only one (1) disadvantage,
"You never get a day off."
JOHN AND HIS DOGS
For the last decade or more, if my memory is correct, John kept up to
three (3) or (4) yard dogs mostly the Beagle breed and they were his
Children. John had never been married, although he told me he came
close to getting married one time while stationed in California or
either Florida, but it never materialized. John looked after his
family of Beagles and kept them well fed. He would get them
Chicken Tenders from KFC every now and then as a special treat and
regularly would get them a Pork Chop biscuit from the Marathon service
station there in Polkton, NC which operated a grill also. When he
did his weekly shopping at Walmart and Food Lion, he would load his cart
up with things for his dogs; e.g., neck bones, Vienna sausage, chickens,
wieners in addition to either dry or canned dog food. I kidded
John that his dogs eat better than myself...............grin if you
must! John kept their shots up to date and anyone keeping a dog
knows that Vet fees this day and time is very expensive, just for
routine stuff.
When I visited John at his home, his family of beagles were very
protective of John and he would have to calm them down! John and
myself enjoyed sitting on his covered back porch in his rocking chairs
talking about various things, mostly hunting though!
Johns daily routine; would go to town and get loaded up on coffee and/or
breakfast for himself and before the COVID-19, him and his
friends would gather inside where sitting booths where and they would catch
up on the daily stuff and world events. During and after
COVID-19 when the inside booths were closed, John would be outside
sitting in his truck drinking coffee and his friends would stop by for a visit
and chat. When John would leave, he would order pork chop biscuits
for his dogs and would then stop by the Post Office
when they opened at 9 AM to get his mail.
John stopped deer and turkey hunting sometime around 2018, whereas he
stopped deer hunting a few years before he stopped turkey hunting and his
strength
was slowly declining as he could no longer load some of the large bucks he
was harvesting onto his four wheeler without help. I can
definitely relate to the declining strength personally and I believe the
culprit is the date on my birth certificate; got to blame something
right?
JOHN'S MEDICAL ISSUES
I talked with John regularly and the past year, I noticed that John was
repeating himself often and not being aware that he was doing so.
John had one memory loss event while leaving a medical facility in
Monroe, NC and couldn't find his truck in the parking lot and
went to a nearby facility and they let him spend the night there.
The following morning, he was able to call someone and they helped him
find his truck. Things rapidly went down hill medically for John after this event.
John later had to be hospitalized for a medical issue for a week or more and the
attending physician told his next of kin, Joel Ingold of Pinehurst, NC
there was nothing else they could do for John and that he needed
24/7 care/assistance, whereas, Joel got John in an assisted living facility
in Pinehurst, NC. I talked with John fairly regular and he was very unhappy and
wanted to come back home to Polkton, NC, but it was not to be. I did my best to
encourage John that this was the best place for him, but it was very difficult
for John to accept since he had been his own man all his adult
life and he did not have to depend on someone else for help. I always
ended our conversation letting John know that I was praying for him
daily!
John's friend and person that cleaned his home,
Joye Waddell looked
after his dogs while John was in the assisted living facility. Coyotes
killed Johns dogs while he was in the assisted living facility and glad
that John was not aware of it since he really loved those dogs which
were his children.
PICTURES FROM THE PAST
I am going to post pictures that I have taken of John over the years and
it is hard to realize that he has departed this Life! These
pictures are posted on my Photo and
Guest Photo album pages
and a couple other short stories, but will
copy and paste them here in one place.
This is one of the earliest pictures taken of John on April 21, 2001.
I believe this pix was taken by Danny Gathings at the Stag & Doe
processing.
Below pix of John and Virginia McSwain carving a pumpkin on
10-30-2004
at our Halloween party.
Below, John enjoying a bowl of home made
chili n beans on 10-30-2004
I tried for many years to get John to join us for our Christmas,
Thanksgiving and other Holidays without success, but that was the way
John was. I was surprised that John made it to this Thanksgiving
event and one other event in 2005.
John with a 23 pound long beard harvested on April 17, 2008.
John and Carl Cauthen at our
Halloween party on Burlington
St. in 2005
John and Virginia McSwain 08-15-2008.
Bill and June Escott were
also present. Pix taken in Ansonville, NC at a seafood restaurant.
Another rare photo of John with a good grin going!
John test firing his new Matthews Drenalin solo cam bow at
S & S
Graham Archery in China Grove, NC 10-29-2008
John with another Long Beard harvested on 04-10-10.
Pix taken at
S & S Graham Archery China Grove, NC 10-29-2008.
Pix taken 04-15-2011.
Pix taken 11-25-2013, not taken by Bill Porter.
Pix taken 04-14-2012.
Pix taken on 10-17-14, harvested with Stryker Solutions LS Crossbow.
Buck weighed 211 lbs. on the hoof!
Picture taken on 05-03-2016.
John with another Long Beard harvested on 04-27-2018.
I believe this is the last pix of John that I took and don't think he
turkey hunted after 2018. John gave up deer hunting a few years
before giving up turkey hunting. John kept me supplied with wild turkey
breast meat rendering some "beautimous"
recipes!
JOHN'S OBITUARY
John D. Gaddy
Polkton - Mr. John D. Gaddy, age 81, died peacefully at First Health
Hospice House in West End, NC.
The family will greet friends on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, at
Leavitt Funeral Home from 1:00 until 2:00PM. A graveside will
follow at 2:30PM at Williams Cemetery in Polkton with Rev. John Greene
officiating.
Born in Anson County on August 15, 1941, John was a son of the late John
Robert and Naomi Currie Gaddy. John was a retired Naval Officer
with 23 years of service. He was more recently retired as a Public
Safety Officer with the NC Division of Prisons with 14 years of service.
He was a member of Polkton Baptist Church.
Survivors include two nephews, Joel Ingold of Pinebluff and John Robert
Ingold of Wilmington.
Leavitt Funeral Home is serving the Gaddy family.
Rev. John Green of the Polkton Baptist Church stated that
"John
preached his own funeral by the way he lived!"
In closing, as stated earlier John was my best friend and we shared
many times together and have those wonderful memories stored in my
“Mind’s eye”. I look forward to seeing John again when the trump of
our Lord sounds and will meet him in Heaven.
While John was in the assisted living facility, I encouraged him the best I could and
he was continually in my daily prayers. I certainly do miss him!
"Two of the Greatest Ships that ever
Sailed, Friendship and Fellowship" and John and myself
certainly sailed with prevailing good winds!
MY FAVORITE POEM:
SALUTATION TO THE DAWN
Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life,
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:
The bliss of growth,
The glory of action,
The splendor of beauty,
For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow only a vision,
But today well lived makes every yesterday
a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day!
Such is the salutation of the dawn.
Written by Kalidasa 2500 B.C. Sanskrit
For me, the poem in a nut shell means,
"live today the best that you can" and can certainly relate
that to my friend John Gaddy!
Web page published by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 11-04-2022.
LEAVING ON A
SPIRITUAL NOTE
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please take
this moment to accept him by Faith into your Life, whereby Salvation
will be attained.
Ephesians 2:8 - 2:9 8 For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of
works, lest any man should boast.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.”
Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God.”
Open this
link about faith in the King James
Bible.
Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Open this
link of Bible Verses About Salvation,
King James Version Bible (KJV).
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and
sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder
of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory
of God;”
Micah 6:8 “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what
doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and
to walk humbly with thy God?”
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me."
