John G. Sears

Mr. John “Johnny” Gilbert Sears, 81, of Franklin, died Sunday, May 9, 2021, surrounded by his family. He was born February 17, 1940.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM, Saturday, May 15, 2021, at Ramsay Memorial Presbyterian Church in Franklin, with Pastor Bobby Hornsby officiating.  

Mr. Sears is survived by his wife of 55 years Mrs. Patricia “Patsy” Sears; son Al Sears (Gena); two daughters Amy Cantey (Ron), Ashley Buster (Blake); sister Anna Jean Perry (Dudley); brother David Sears (Carolyn); eight grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family. 

He is preceded in death by his father John F. Sears, his mother Charlotte Sears, and his sister Macie “Rooster” Golden.

Johnny attended Coosada Baptist Church. To say Johnny was a survivor is an understatement considering the adversities life put in front of him, and he worked through each one with a smile.  Some of the sayings he brought to the family were “Just Try Hard” and “Have To.”  He kept moving forward where others may have found an excuse. As a young man he loved watching birds, especially purple martins, fly around the gourds. Joining the Boy Scouts taught him a skillset he enjoyed into his adult life, and he enjoyed passing those skills on to the young boy scouts in Franklin. He used several starting points around Franklin to navigate to a WWII era B24 Liberator crash site so the young troops could earn a merit badge. He loved sports, but excelled in football, earning such honors as The Hurst Trophy, MVP in 1958, first player from his school to earn “All State” in 1959 and being inducted in Alabama School for the Deaf (ASD) Hall of Fame in 1994. His last football game was against Tuskegee High School where ASD won 13 to 0. 

He started his career as a barber owning a small shop in Tuskegee, and after years of cutting hair made a career change to work for the City of Tuskegee Water Treatment Plant, purifying surface water into drinking water. After 37 years of service he retired. He appreciated the simple things: the smell of Wisteria, the freedom of driving his Willys Jeep, a good meal, gardening, fishing, milkshakes, Alabama football, searching for arrowheads, and family. Even though we are saying goodbye, he is saying hello in Heaven.  

In lieu of flowers, tax deductible donations can be made to:
Sears Cemetery
c/o Cemetery Preservation Group, Inc.
P.O. Box 2341 Selma, Al 36702-2341    
or online at www.cpgllc.org/donate