Jon Oliver Foote, age 63 of Decherd, went to be with his Lord and Savior on June 27, 2024. Jon was born March 17,1961, in Spirit Lake, Iowa, to Ron and June Foote. He was the youngest of nine siblings. Jon lived in Spirit Lake, Iowa, Polk, Nebraska, and Lincoln Nebraska, where he met Lori Watson. They became high school sweethearts and married on October 25, 1980. Jon and Lori moved to Colorado to pursue Aviation Maintenance training, graduated in 1984 from Colorado Aero Tech, and immediately started his own aircraft restoration business. They spent a total of fourteen years in Colorado, mostly in the Longmont/Frederick areas. In 1987, Jon had a vision to start an aviation ministry, Missionaire. The ministry trained people to become mechanics and pilots while actively restoring “real” flyable aircraft, most of which were sent into service with other ministries all over the world. Jon retired from his work with Missionaire in 2021, after almost thirty-five years of service. Jon also operated aircraft maintenance businesses in various locations where the family lived, including Kimball, Nebraska, Tompkinsville, Kentucky, and Winchester, Tennessee. Besides working on customers’ planes, he volunteered with notable projects such as the restoration of a flying 1916 Curtiss Jenny, and a DeHavilland DH-4. Throughout the Jenny Project, which took place in Kentucky, he actively involved high school students in the work. He and his son, Allan, launched a high school aviation program in the Tompkinsville school. He started again an internship for middle and high school students in Winchester, where they were restoring Curtiss Jenny. Jon loved mentoring young people spiritually and sharing his faith, encouraging them to grow into their own personal relationship with Christ. He served as a youth pastor in different churches over the years. His children grew up around airplanes. His two sons apprenticed with him and became aircraft mechanics as well as pilots. His daughter also learned the trade for a time and helped with recovering fabric aircraft. They were actively involved in the family and church ministry through the years. Jon was currently winding down operations at Winchester Airport in anticipation of retiring from aviation. He was looking forward to working on classic car projects and having more time to spend with his wife, children, and grandchildren. Jon loved to cook and was well-known for his special talent for creating delicious dishes for others. He had also recently taken on the hobby of creating unique epoxy tables. There was pretty much nothing Jon couldn’t do or figure out how to do. He worked hard with his hands not only on airplanes but restoring houses and other construction projects. Jon will be greatly missed. He was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents. He is survived by his loving wife, Lori of almost forty-four years, who remains in the Winchester area; son, Allan (Charity) Foote of Destrehan, Louisiana; son, Wesley (Leighanna) Foote of Peyton, Colorado; and daughter, Amanda (Jerry) Alexander of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. He is also survived by all eight of his siblings, and seven grandchildren (Ian, Kaelyn, Seth, Eli, Kyle, Elissa, and Amarissa). He leaves behind a host of extended family and friends who will miss him dearly. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, from 12pm-2pm at Kings Cross Church. A memorial service will follow at 2pm. Church address is 222 Turkey Creek Road, Tullahoma, TN, 37388.
