Johnny Tuten, 93, of Tuscumbia, entered his Heavenly Home on Thursday, March 24, 2022, after a brief illness. Receiving friends will be at The Valdosta Church of Christ at 1:00 p.m., followed by a service at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 27, with Ed White, a dear friend, officiating. A graveside service will be held in Decatur, AL, at Roselawn Cemetery at 4:30 p.m.
Johnny was born in Rogersville, AL, on August 8, 1928, to Alfred and Sarah Tuten, the youngest child to join two brothers, Royce and Lowell, and sister, Beulah. After he graduated from Decatur High School, Class of 1946, he joined the U.S. Navy. He served on the USS Adirondack. He was a proud member of the American Legion, Post #31.
After his discharge in 1948, Johnny returned to Decatur and attended Athens college, graduating in 1950 with a Chemical Engineering degree. He married Doris Nixon of Decatur on September 1 of that year. He and Doris celebrated their 70th anniversary in 2020.
Johnny and Doris moved to Tuscumbia in 1954 for his job with TVA’s Colbert Steam Plant and Air Quality Control. He retired in 1983 to begin his second career. He and Doris traveled extensively as co-owners and travel agents of their business, Heart of Dixie Tours, for the next twenty-five years.
Johnny was a Godly, Christian husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He and Doris were longtime members of The Valdosta Church of Christ, where he served as an elder for many years.
Johnny was a Lions Club member for seventy years, sixty-eight of those in the Tuscumbia Club. He had been co-chairman of the Helen Keller Memorial Fund from 1969 to the present. He served as District Governor – 34A – of LIONS International 1976 – 1977, receiving the Distinguished Service Award from Alabama Lions High School Camp that year. Johnny served on the Helen Keller Board, received the Alvin Jones Fellow Award for Dedicated Humanitarian Services / Lions International Foundation, and was recognized by the Tuscumbia Lions and the Alabama Lions as Lion of the Year in 2017 – 2018. He was instrumental in the work done to construct the Knights of the Blind Walk and sculpture of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan at Ivy Green, birthplace of Helen Keller. Johnny was truly devoted to serving God, family, and community his entire life.
Johnny is survived by his family that loved him dearly, daughter, Donna Whitehead (Tom), Knoxville, TN; son, Steve Tuten (Pat), Durham, NC; grandchildren, Wes Whitehead (Meredith), Knoxville, TN, Natalie Ammons (Kevin), Knoxville, TN, Michael Tuten, Las Vegas, NV, and Amy Tuten, Hendrix, OK; and great-grandchildren, Blaine, Hudson, and Emery Whitehead, Hailey Mays, and Eva, Nora, and Jacob Conner.
Johnny will be forever missed by family and friends, but he has finished his earthly journey as God’s faithful servant and has now gone to his reward in Heaven.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Helen Keller Memorial Fund, 300 N. Commons W., Tuscumbia, AL 35674, or The Valdosta Church of Christ Library Fund, 1119 Old Lee Highway, Tuscumbia, AL 35674.
The service will include a memorial for Doris Tuten, Johnny’s deceased wife who passed on January 3, 2021. Due to Covid, the family only had a graveside service at the time.
