A Celebration of Life was held for John Shanks on Wednesday, October 5, at 1:00 pm at Hood Funeral Home with burial at the Big Lick Hill Crest Cemetery with a fellowship meal following the burial at the Big Lick Presbyterian Church. The family received friends from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. prior to the service. John was born on January 23, 1945, to Floyd and Marilyn Osborne Shanks in Indianapolis, Indiana.
John married Karen B. Shanks on November 15, 1980. He is survived by his 3 children Amy Wyatt (Joe), Liz Shillings (Monty), and Dr. Johnny Shanks (Portia) all of Crossville; grandchildren Ashten & Ben Church, Blu, David, Rose Shillings, Katlyn Kemmer, Brady, Aubrey, Landry, and Kingsley Shanks; 6 great-grandchildren Kia, Easton, Charlie, Brody, Hudson, and Tucker. John is also survived by 3 brothers, Steve, Michael, and Mark Shanks. He is preceded in death by his parents and sister and brother-in-laws Laura, Peter, and John Bradley. He served his country in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and received a special commendation for preventing an air attack on his ship the Independence. John graduated from Covenant College and began his career in sales. He was a Sales Representative for TAP Publishing; Tradequip Oil and Gas Division where he traveled all over the world representing his company. John loved the music! He wrote, sang, and performed his songs for many, many years. One of the highlights of John’s well-lived life was becoming a Shriner in the Scottish Rite and then becoming a member of the York Rite Bodies, Masonic Order of the Knights Templar, the Christian Branch of the Free Masonry. John was a member of the Sons of the Confederacy where he received the Bar Service Medal for his service in Vietnam. John loved his God, his family, his country, and his many, many friends. Having been debilitated by Parkinson’s disease, John was lovingly cared for by his family for the last several years, and recently the dedicated staff at Wharton Senior Living.

The family would like to thank everyone who made John’s journey home so peaceful and surrounded by love.