John Larry Tignor, age 72, died Friday morning February 13, 2015 at his home.
Mr. Tignor was born and reared in the Jacks Creek Community of Chester County, the son of the late John Harvey and Mary Nell Christopher Tignor. He graduated from Chester County High School in 1961, Freed-Hardeman College in 1963, Memphis State University in 1965, and did post-graduate work at the University of Virginia, Darden Graduate School of Business. He married Kay Mitchell of Milledgeville in 1963. They made their home in Tupelo, MS and in Henderson for a short while before moving to Memphis.
He began his career in the corrugated paper business in Memphis with Container Corporation of America. They moved to Genesee, IL where he served as plant manager; back to Memphis where he served as general manager; and then to Indianapolis, IN where he served as vice-president of the paper products division, being responsible for equipment purchasing for all their manufacturing facilities.
They made their home in Montgomery, AL where he was Converting Group Vice-President for MacMillan Bloedel Packaging. They moved to Saudi Arabia where he served as president of Banawi Industrial Group in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
He had also served as area general manager for Weyerhaeuser at the Mt. Vernon and Eaton, Ohio plants.
He spent a few years in Fresno, CA where he was with Smurfitt Stone/RockTenn. He retired from the corrugated paper business in 2012 and moved back to Henderson.
Mr. Tignor had served on the Advisory Board and the Board of Trustees at Freed-Hardeman, University and more recently as co-chair of the committee for the restoration of the historic Old Main Building at Freed-Hardeman. He was a member of the Henderson Church of Christ.
He is survived by his wife Linda Kay Mitchell Tignor; a son Chris Tignor and wife Suzanne of Hoover, Al; a daughter Janet Blank and husband Steve of Granite Bay, CA; five grandchildren: Samantha Tignor, Andrea Sweetnam, Eric Blank, Garrett Blank, and Kevin Blank; and three great grandchildren: Mila Sweetnam, Lucas Sweetnam, and Logan Blank.
Funeral services will be 2:00 PM Sunday at the Henderson Church of Christ with Dr. Billy Smith and Dr. Roy Sharp officiating. Burial will follow at Milledgeville Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at Shackelford Funeral Directors – Casey Chapel from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 PM until 2:00 PM at the Henderson Church of Christ.
Memorials may be made to the Restoration of Old Main at Freed Hardeman University, 158 East Main Street, Henderson, TN 38340.
Shackelford Funeral Directors – Casey Chapel
Henderson, Tennessee
731-989-2421
