John Keith Eckerd, Sr.

At the age of 73, John Keith Eckerd, Sr., passed away on April 17th near his retirement home in Loudon, Tennessee.
From 1970 to 2011, he was proud to have his home in Greene and Washington Counties, where he and his wife raised their children.
Among family and friends, John was most well-known for his love of history, which he expressed through genealogical research, trips to historic sites, and his forty-four years as Captain of Knap’s Battery, the Civil War memorial group he founded in 1971. His passion to preserve the history of the American Civil War helped to ignite a resurgence of interest in the subject among his fellow enthusiasts. Though John retired from command, Knap’s Battery persists to this day, and is still active in events across the United States.
John’s sense of industry and management allowed him great success in his 33-years as an engineer in the mining industry. For more than three decades, he worked and consulted with US Steel and Alpha Natural Resources for the construction and operation of Cumberland Mine in Kirby, Pennsylvania. He retired at the age of 68. He will be fondly remembered for his proactive attitude. “Sometimes,” he told his grandchildren at their last meeting, “you just have to put your head down and go into the wind.”
John Eckerd was the son of Charles and Hilda Eckerd from Polo, Illinois.
He is survived by his loving wife Cecilia “Nicky” of 55 years; two sons, John Jr. and Jim; one daughter, Diana and seven grandchildren; Diana’s children, Michael and Mikayla; John Jr.’s children, John III, Kendall, Jackson, and the soon-to-arrive Ava and Jim’s children, Jordan and Elizabeth.
A memorial service, as tribute to a life well lived, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on June 6, 2015, at the Greene County Historical Society, 918 Rolling Meadows Road, Waynesburg.
The family suggests donations in John Eckerd’s name to the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Center.