John Edward Golon Sr. passed away surrounded by his loved ones, on Thursday, November 3, 2022, he was 94 years old.
He lived a rich and religious life. Born in Harrison, NJ on August 29, 1928, he was reared in Fairview, NJ and graduated from Cliffside Park High School.
He was preceded in death by his son Mark and is survived by his wife Mary Louise (Lou Wheeler), son John Jr. (Janet) and his son AJ (Abby), daughters MaryAnne and her daughter Kris (Arc), Marti and her children, Katie and Max (Izzy) Higgins, Beth Stiltner and her twin sons Seth (Chelsea) and Jonah (Lyndsey), and Susan Griffin and her daughters Cece (Justin) and Ava (Dom). He had 11 great-grandchildren, and one on the way.
John was a US Army veteran who served at the close of WWII in the Pacific with the first occupation forces in Japan. He received his B.S. in chemistry from Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina and graduate studies at the University of South Carolina.
He worked for the Pepsi Cola Corp. for 43 years. He traveled throughout the US as an engineer, troubleshooter and instructor that provided quality control for Pepsi franchises. He developed the design criteria for liquid sugar handling that remains the industry standard. He ran operations in North Carolina, Georgia, Nebraska and Louisiana. He retired in 1994.
During his time in Nebraska, he started John’s Catering and a restaurant in downtown Lincoln named Dinsdale’s. He later went into business with his son John on a Memphis restaurant chain called Danvers. He sold his shares to his son in 2005.
After a heart attack in 1989, he wrote a book entitled “Cooking for Life.“ He moved to Port St. Joe, Florida in 1995 and began a weekly column for The News Herald in Panama City. WMBB News 13, the local ABC television affiliate, invited him to share his recipes that became a weekly segment called “The Low Fat Chef.” He developed and held seminars, lectures and classes on living a healthy lifestyle that included nutrition, exercise, menu planning, and grocery shopping tips.
He greatly enjoyed life and traveled worldwide with his wife of 68 years. They loved their beautiful Smoky Mountains home in Franklin, NC where he was an active member of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. He served on the parish council, finance committee, and headed the St. Vincent De Paul society. He was a Eucharistic minister for seniors: homebound, nursing home residents, and hospital patients. They later lived in Collierville, TN with son John, in Arlington, VA with daughter MaryAnne, and since 2020, in their tiny home in Bethpage, TN with daughter Beth.
Arrangements Entrusted To: Sumner Funeral & Cremation, Gallatin. 128A W. Eastland Ave., Gallatin, TN 37066. 615-452-9059. www.sumnerfuneral.com
For more obituaries visit https://sumnercountysource.com/obituaries/
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