John Clark Pepper died Sunday morning, November 10, 2024, at the Highlands Health and Rehabilitation Center in Scottsboro following several weeks of hospitalization for cardiac and respiratory problems. He was 81 years old.
John was born January 27, 1943, in Union City, TN. He was the second of two children born to Ruth McAnulty Pepper, an educator, and Dr. Morris Pepper, a minister in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and long-time pastor of the Scottsboro congregation.
John was a 1961 graduate of Scottsboro High School where he distinguished himself as a formidable presence on the football field. He was voted by his classmates as “Most Courteous” in his senior year. After graduation, he attended Bethel College in McKenzie, TN.
The majority of his working years were spent with the Cornelius Corporation, Scottsboro Wholesale, and with Scottsboro’s sanitation department.
John’s friends are familiar with anecdotes of his physical strength. He’s known for hoisting a cotton bale and carrying it far enough to make good on bets about his ability to accomplish the feat. As an employee of the sanitation department, he took pride in his ability to lift any load left on the curb. As a practical joke, his coworkers planted a trash can filled with concrete by the roadside. When John couldn’t lift the can, he walked away from the truck, intent on walking to city hall to resign his job, saying he was no longer capable of performing his duties. His coworkers owned up the ploy, and John’s resignation was refused.
Troubled by emotional conflicts as a younger adult, John emerged from his complications to be an ardent advocate for the wider availability of mental health care and for erasing the stigmas attached to victims seeking treatment for behavioral issues.
He was a passionate advocate of civil rights. In his memoirs written for the Jackson County Historical Association, he deeply lamented the injustices of segregation in his hometown. He was a vocal critic of those who failed to grasp the urgency of climate change.
He was a devoted student of poetry, particularly the works of Frost and Coleridge. He possessed extraordinary recall and committed several long poetic works to memory. His spontaneous recitations were the only instance of the usually reserved John being comfortable as the center of attention. An early volume of Robert Frost’s works lay by his bedside in his last days.
Survivors include a sister, Beverly Pepper Brown (m. Dr. Paul B. Brown, deceased) and his niece Shelley Ruth Brown, both of Memphis, and two grand nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents and a nephew, Paul Christopher Brown.
John penned dozens of letters and cards every week. He mailed over 200 Christmas cards every holiday season. His close friends will miss his seeing his unique scrawl and reading his quirky insights.
A memorial service will be held at a date and time to be announced by Scottsboro Funeral Home.
Those who were fortunate enough to make his acquaintance in his later years will celebrate his gentleness, humility, and humanity.
Arrangements Entrusted to Scottsboro Funeral Home
