John Garland Fitz

To view the recorded memorial service, please follow the link provided below.

John Garland Fitz Jr. died Sunday, August 30, 2020 in Oxford after a brief illness. He was born on June 8, 1937, the son of late John G. Fitz and Lillian Dickerson Fitz in Chase City, Va.
“Jackie,” as most of us knew him, was a staple in the community and was a loyal member at Oxford Baptist Church since 1958. His church family was just that and he was an active member of the choir and youth organizations for the Flat River Baptist Association. He coached youth baseball for many years. When his sons, John and Grayson were younger, he spent countless hours trying to teach them to play golf and ride a horse. As luck would have it, they settled on baseball and football, in that order. His greatest passion taught by his father, was breeding and raising Tennessee Walking Horses and attending as well as sponsoring the World Championships in Shelbyville, Tennessee. As a 3 sport All State athlete at Bluestone High School in Chase City, Va he always taught sportsmanship and doing your very best. He spent 26 years serving his country in the Armed Forces including a 3-year tour in Korea as well as 20 years in the NC National Guard. He was honorably discharged from the Army and retired in 1994. Upon his discharge from active duty, Jackie returned to Oxford to work at Perkinson Currin Funeral home in 1960. He transitioned to the Corporate world as an Asset Manager at Burlington Industries until their close in 1973. He spent the rest of his career until 2002, in management as a BCS Operations Administrator at Nortel Networks previously Northern Telecom. He did not understand retirement and returned to where he began at Gentry-Newell & Vaughn Funeral Home where he worked/volunteered, as he calls it, as long as he was able until 2017. Although a quiet man, he made a tremendous impact on the lives of many young people as a father, coach, mentor and counselor with the Royal Ambassadors youth at Oxford Baptist Church. I could not forget his 25 years on the sidelines pulling the chains at Oxford High School and later J.F. Webb High School football games. During retirement, Jackie continued to raise horses at Fairport Stables in Kittrell until 2014.
Throughout his life, Jackie’s infectious laugh and witty sense of dry humor will remind us all of what a great man he was to so many. His generosity and love of God and Country will leave an incredible legacy for his family and friends to remember him by.
Jackie is survived by his two children, John G Fitz, III of Salisbury, NC, and Grayson K. Fitz of Raleigh, NC; grandsons, Jax Fitz, E2 US Army, El Paso, TX, Eric Fitz of Charlotte, NC, and Brian Fitz of Raleigh, NC; his sister, Sissie Wright and husband Sonny along with son, Mark Wright of Chase City, Va.
A memorial service will be held outside at Delrayno Baptist Church on Saturday, September 12, 2020 at 11am.
Click here to view the recorded service.
In lieu of flowers please honor him by donating in his honor to The Masonic Home for Children at Oxford. http://www.mhc-oxford.org