Birth date: Aug 27, 1939 Death date: Aug 22, 2017
JOHN L. VICKREY, 77, died on August 22, 2017 at his home with his family by his side. Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on August 27, 1939 he was the son of the late Carl Sr. and Evelyn (Luther) Vickrey. The Vickrey family moved to For Read Obituary
The Vickrey family will always hold a special place in the Smith family. Prayers to Sandy and John Mark. Pastor John was a great man, and will always remember his guidance and words in my formative middle school and high school years. God Bless you all!
We became friends with John in 1975 when our son went across the street to welcome John to the neighborhood. John married Sandy shortly after and they moved into the parsonage. We spent a lot of time with them until they moved to Sterling. We visited them in Illinois and when they came to Ft. Wayne we were able to visit with them regularly.
When our son passed from an accident in 2010, John was there to comfort us and encourage us that Jeff was in a better place. He was the pastor for the funeral and we will never forget the wonderful and kind words from the service.
Rev. John Vickrey was my pastor and friend, beginning in 1986. He has continued to be a wonderful example of what it means to follow Christ in both word and deed. Even during the months preceding his death, he showed me how to die with dignity and grace. How I will miss him. John was an encourager who knew so much about history, the Bible, and hymns. I will never forget getting a tour of Indianapolis and he was like a walking encyclopedia reciting facts about the buildings, the history, and especially the churches. He was always concerned about others, even during the last, hard days when he worried about Sandy's future without him. In my opinion, John lived the life Christ taught us to live by being open and loving to all circumstances and people. He lived simply without complaint and was always gracious. How I will miss our discussions on the phone and in person as we questioned deep issues about life and God. I know I will pick up the phone to call him in the future and will sadly remember that I have to wait patiently to see him again in God's Kingdom. All is well with him now and I hope the angels are giving him a big birthday party today as he would have been 78. Love you, Rev. John Luther Vickrey!!! Tomorrow we will celebrate a Christian life well lived. I will thank God you influenced my life for a number of years.
John Vickrey was one of the finest men I have ever known. We laughed, we cried, and we laughed again. Some of my fondest memories were in Gas City, Indiana and I shared them with John. These last years we haven't spent enough time together, but when we got together it was like we were family all over again. I am sad you are gone, but I am so very happy for you. I will see you again my friend.
Loved you my friend,
Kirby Warren
