John Gass III, 93, of Lookout Mountain, Georgia, passed away on Friday, May 26, at his home at Thrive at Brow Wood.
Raised in Sewanee, Tn., he is the son of the late Henry Markley Gass and Marguerite Rather Gass, and preceded in death by his wife, Sylvia Quinn Gass and his brother, Currin Gass.
He served in World War IIin the Marine Corps where he was in the first wave to attack Iwo Jima. He was wounded in battle and awarded the Purple Heart. He returned to Sewanee after the war to attend the University of the South where he was President of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Following his graduation, he moved to Chattanooga, and met Sylvia Quinn who he would marry. He went on to work at Volunteer Life and later Arcade Printing where he was CFO. He was president of United Way and also president of the Lookout Mountain Golf Club. One of his greatest joys was sponsoring a stained glass window at All Saint’s Chapel in Sewanee commemorating his father, who was professor of Greek and Latin and the first Rhodes Scholar at the University of the South, and his mother, who was one of Sewanee’s greatest supporters.
John, also known as Sweetie to his friends, is survived by his daughter, Chappell Gass Hardie, (Bill) of Jacksonville, FL, son, John Gass IV (Debi) of Atlanta, grandchildren Dan Hardie and Mary Hardie of Jacksonville, FL, Betsy Lavender (Mike) of Washington, DC and John Gass V of Denver.
The family would like to express special thanks to Thrive at Brow Wood, where he received loving care for the past year and to Tapestry Hospice for their superior end of life care and compassion.
The family will meet with friends and family at Talbird Hall, Episcopal Church of Good Shepherd, Lookout Mountain, on Tuesday, May 30, at 9:30 a.m. Funeral service will begin at 10:30 a.m.
Donations may be made to the University of the South, Sewanee, TN (www.sewanee.edu) or the Church of the Good Shepherd.
Arrangements are by Wann Funeral Home at the foot of historic Lookout Mountain, St. Elmo, 423821-7551. Share your memories at www.wannfuneralhome.com.