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John Thomas Reading, Sr.
December 27, 2019
John Thomas Reading, Sr., age 89, was born in Camden, Arkansas, on October 10, 1930 to the late Thomas and Clara Belle Reading. He passed away in Pensacola, Florida on December 26, 2019.
John began his life in poverty, which caused him to lead a humble life, never forgetting his roots.
He felt an early calling to serve his country so he joined the Navy, underage, at 14. He then further honored his service by joining the Army Air Corps/Air Force. After fulfilling his beginning dream, he gratefully used the GI Bill from the military to attend and graduate pharmacy school from Samford University. While a student there, he used art as an outlet and had some of his artwork he created displayed at the Birmingham Museum of Art. He owned the Cantonment Pharmacy for 43 years and he loved all of his customers dearly.
For John, life was just one adventure after another. His interests varied from owning several Harley and Indian motorcycles, collecting Colt firearms to owning several airplanes. He was a pilot, an expert on Civil War history, the best advice giver, the teller of the tallest tales, the author of ten novels, a huge animal lover and one of the funniest people you ever met. When someone met John, they were guaranteed to have him put a smile on their face. He was loved dearly and will be greatly missed.
John is preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Clara Belle Reading; sisters, Flora Jane, Clara Marie, Mabel Ellen and Darlene; and brother, James Thomas.
Comments
10 Responses to “John Thomas Reading, Sr.”
Our prayers are with the family of Mr John Reading. May God comfort His family in their time of loss. Mr John loved his customers , family, and community. Rest In Peace Mr John. May God be with the Family.
Mr Reading was a fine public servant. In addition to many other attributes, he was politically involved. When I ran for office the first time, he told me to be sure to talk to Mrs Thelma Bettis; or maybe Mrs Bettis told me to be sure to talk to Mr Redding. One or the other. I greatly respected the political advice and the character of both of them.
Mr. Reading was always kind and had a smile on his face. You will be missed. Prayers for the family.
Praying for all of you. I have special memories of Uncle John. My Daddy and him sure could cut up together. He was a smart, fun and a good looking man.
John Reading Sr. was one of the smartest,most compassionate person I have ever met. The first time I had a prescription filled by him he made sure I understood everything I needed to know about my medication. This was 20 years before any other pharmacy offered that service. He always had a smile and words of encouragement when you walked through the doo. And yes, his sense of humor was legendary. I missed him when he retired and the world is a sadder place without him. God bless his family.
Mr. John always had a smile on his face , laughter in his voice and a heart willing to help. He was a good friend. Will truly be missed. Our prayers and love to his family. Love Doug and Debbie Hager.
To: The Reading Family. My mother Thelma was a dear friend of John Reading. She oftentimes baked special recipes for his family’s opinion.
Mr. Reading has already been greatly missed by us with his business being sold. I have thought of him much lately. Our prayers are with you during this time.
God doesn’t make mistakes. He and He alone holds the power of “life” and “death” in the palm of his hands.
Angelia McGary , Thelma’s daughter
I worked for Mr. John for along time was a super person willing to help everyone from all walks of life. RIP Mr. John❤️
John, Dr John to his customers, was a wonderful friend to each and every person that came into his store. . He had the best personality. His people skills were excellent. Many of us have survived whatever, due to his compassion and of course his famous CANTONMENT WINE. His comment ” I’ll wait right here for you” after making a telephone request for prescriptions to be filled was heard by many.
Mr John was an awesome man & was a friend to many including my family! I loved talking to him when I went into Cantonment Pharmacy! What a great sense of humor this man had! God bless the Reading family during this time of great loss!