John Segrest was faithful and loyal to his family and friends. He is mourned by his wife, Bitsy; his daughter, Jenny and her husband, Houston; as well as his sister, Virginia; and his three grandchildren, Whitney, Joshua and Polly. His best four-legged friends were Leroy, Jake and Beau, and Rufus was coming along.

Born in 1950, John grew up in Port Gibson with his parents, John and Pauline and his sisters, Connie and Virginia. He loved their place on Chicago Road and knew it inside and out. John attended Port Gibson High School and Chamberlain Hunt Academy. John made lifelong friends, including Linda and Carl, Doug, Charlie and Dumas. John met Doug, Charlie and Dumas in the first grade and they stayed in touch and rode motorcycles together into their seventies.

John received his bachelor and master’s degrees from Mississippi State University. He served as president of the Shelton Cemetery Association, as secretary and treasurer of T.J. Segrest and Sons and as managing general partner of the JVC Family Partnership.

John had a long and celebrated career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he served in the real estate arena. He deployed multiple times in service to the nation, both overseas and in response to natural disasters. John was well known for his real estate expertise and enjoyed teaching others. He treasured the friends he made in the corps, including Charlotte (Phil), Charles (Sherry), Nickie, Greg (Jessica) and Kent (Terry). He was an honorary member of Team Camelot and he will be missed by Rich and Beth, Tom and Diane, Rich and Sheila and Dennis and Leah, as well as Mary Jan with Bitsy.

John departed this life Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the age of 74 after a life well-lived. Like his father, John was a social person, a good story teller and he made people laugh and feel good about themselves. John was a caregiver and took care of people. He could be stubborn, but that’s a story for another day. As John put it, he hoped his good outweighed the bad. As many will attest, John made the world better just by walking around in it.

While he is celebrating his new life, John’s legacy of kindness and love lives on in Jenny, Polly, Joshua and Whitney, of whom he is very proud.

If you would like to honor John with a remembrance, please consider the scholarship that John established for his father at Mississippi State University, The John Charles Segrest Memorial Endowed Scholarship or the Shelton Cemetery Association.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, Oct. 5 at 10 a.m. at Glenwood Funeral Home, Vicksburg. Honorary Pallbearers are James Ray Banks, Leslie “Bit” Hill, Huron Turner, John Donald Selden, Hank Drake Jr., Bob Hyer, Jeff Mac Segrest, Fred Hyer, Fred Stovall and Randy Rogers. John wanted everyone to come in open collar and informal dress. Afterward, friends are invited to enjoy food at home with Bitsy and their family. Bring your funny stories about John.