Obituaries

John Lathan Bourne of Martinsville, Virginia, passed away on November 12, 2023.

John was born in Lumberton, NC, on March 29, 1937. He was named after his grandfathers, John Simmerman Bourne and Lawson Lathan Moss. He was the eldest of fraternal twins. John spent his earliest years in Lumberton, NC, until the family moved to Reidsville, NC. His father served there as the Bethany School principal, his mother as Bethany School secretary, and the family lived in the Bethany School Teacherage. After that posting, they moved to Stoneville, NC. John also lived in the towns of Basset, Ridgeway, and Martinsville, VA.

John graduated from Bethany High School in Reidsville, NC, in 1954 (a year early). He was a member of the FFA Club. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. John excelled in chemistry and was a member of the American Chemical Society. Though he’d not say it of himself, more than one who knew him proclaimed him to be a genius in chemistry! He also enjoyed swimming and club football.

In 1957, John entered the United States Army, completed training at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, and was an active member until 1959, when he was honorably discharged with the rank of Specialist 4th Class. He primarily served in Germany with his Field Artillery Unit, planned, and set up perimeters for infantry units.

When John returned home, he attended Western Carolina College in Cullowhee, NC. He married Aileen Burnette in 1964. Almost 50 years later, John and Aileen divorced but remained lifetime friends.

John was from a long and proud line of educators and lawyers. Notable among these were his parents, who were both educators. And his Aunt Pauline “Polly” Bourne, a native of Grayson County, VA, who passed the bar in 1931 and practiced law in Independence, VA. Aunt Polly operated the first female-owned attorney’s office in Virginia and helped establish the first public library in Grayson County, VA. John’s love of reading came naturally.

John’s parents had always hoped, even expected, for John to follow in the sciences and pursue a career as a medical doctor. It’s said that they wished for a doctor and a lawyer between their sons. But John chose his own life path, one that spoke to his heart. He chose and had a successful, lifetime career with DuPont. Not a doctor. Not a lawyer. But his own man.

John loved his parents and had immense respect for them both. His father died, too early in life, at the age of 71. John spent days by his mother’s side, always dressed in a suit and tie to honor his father. Not a man of many words, but a man of great heart, he walked around his parents’ house with big tears in his eyes.

His longtime friends of over 50 years, Dan and Ruth Leeper, said that John was not an easy person to get to know because he rarely said much about himself or his past. Dan recalled backpacking a few times with John to Mount Rogers in Virginia. On the second or third trip, they drove through the little town of Independence, Virginia, when John suddenly told Dan to turn right, which he did. They drove up a hill and into the driveway of a big, beautiful, old Victorian house. Dan was quite confused and asked John if he knew the people that lived there. John grinned and said, "Yeah, they're my aunt and uncle." They had arrived at the Bourne Homeplace, once the town’s premier residence, the “house on the hill,” where John summered as a child and where his Aunt Polly still lived. Typical John! They had passed this house several times on the way to Mount Rogers and he had never said a word.

John built two beautiful homes in his life, one atop his own mountain on Bourne Road. For each, he was there every day, participating, planning, overseeing. He enjoyed making choices and watching the houses grow. And he enjoyed the relationships he fostered with the builders and craftsmen.

John loved home and rarely traveled far from it. Ruth once asked him, after he had been on a long overseas trip with Aileen, what the best part of the trip had been and he replied, “Coming home!”

John had a few hobbies in life, but none as fervently pursued as his interest in cars. He greatly enjoyed stock car racing and NASCAR. In the early days, he and his best friend, Johnny Ramsey, frequently went to the Charlotte Motor Speedway, NC, and spent the night in the infield, just to be there to watch the race the next day. John could hardly wait until the fall of each year, when the automakers unveiled their new car lines. He looked for weeks on end at the new classes of cars and many times ended up buying a new one. John kept up to date with Dodges in particular. John once asked his friend, Dan, to give him a ride over to the Dodge dealership in Reidsville, NC, to get his Dodge pickup truck, which was being serviced. When he got there, his truck wasn't quite ready, so he and Dan stood around in the showroom and looked at the new cars. Suddenly a salesman, who was with a customer, called out to John, "Hey, John! Does the engine in this Charger come with a turbocharger?" John replied, "No, not unless you order the sports package and get the larger 486 engine." A minute later the salesman called out to John again, "Hey, John! Does this engine come with a heavy-duty carburetor?" John replied, "Not with this engine—he'd have to step up to the larger engine and install a larger air filter too. But that will make the gas mileage a lot worse." At this point the customer looked at the salesman and said, "Why am I talking to you? Why don't I just go buy the car from John?" The salesman sheepishly said, "Because he doesn't work here!" When John had just turned 80 years old, Karin asked him when he was going to abandon his slow SUV and get a real sports car. Indeed, on the next visit, John had a shiny blue, Genesis Coupe, V-6, 3.8-litre, 348hp engine, sitting in the driveway. He grinned and proudly announced that it would do “0-60” in under five seconds!

Though he never had children of his own, John enjoyed being around children. He loved Dan and Ruth’s two daughters. And the little boy down the street fondly called him “Claus” because of his beard. Others thought that John’s beard made him look like a disciple. It’s probable that his way of being, his way of walking this world, felt as such. He opened his home to many international exchange students throughout the years, several from Yugoslavia, Croatia, and Japan, many of whom kept in touch with John for several years after they had returned to their home countries. Through these relationships, John touched many people’s lives. One of these even had a son named in honor of John.

John loved dogs! Especially Dalmatians! His longtime friend, Dan, remembers John laughing at how Dalmatians always seemed to shed just the white hair and never the black! It was not uncommon to see John sitting, watching TV, with a dog on his feet. The first Dalmatian, a rescue, was named "Body Spot.” When he first brought her home, John built her a house so that she could live outside. Then he added a heating pad, then moved her into the basement, and finally to the family room beside the heater. All in all, there were eight Dalmatians. John cared for them each dearly.

John was a 25-year survivor of colon cancer. With his calm, even-keeled nature, he calmly went about surgery, chemotherapy, and a complete change in his life. He never complained nor seemed to feel sorry for himself. He became an advocate for others who battled colon cancer. Though difficult for John, he endeavored to help people, telling them how to deal with their new way of life as he had.

John could be excessively budget-minded (a family trait) but was known to be generous with his time and labor. In his younger days, he would often go with Dan, and together they would cut firewood for their wood stoves. When Dan had back surgery in 1978 and couldn't cut firewood for a few months, John brought a truck load, just out of the blue, when he found out that Dan’s stack was depleted. That’s the kind of man John was.

He appreciated United States southwestern cultural artifacts, Mexican pottery, Native American artifacts, and collected many pieces over the years. In his later years living on the King’s Grant Healthcare Floor, these pieces sparked many interesting conversations with other residents and Staff. His Native American tapestries always drew visitors to his room.

Since 1970, John attended Ridgeway United Methodist Church. He especially enjoyed the monthly men’s breakfast mornings when the group cooked for the church. For many years, when Ridgeway Methodist Church put up a live tree at Christmas, John (who seemed to always have a Dodge Ram truck), along with several other men of the church, would go and cut down a large cedar tree and wrestle it into the sanctuary. Then after Christmas, wrestle it back out, and haul it away in his truck—a labor of love.

In his later years, John enjoyed lunches with friends. He loved food, particularly good, southern fried seafood, and most especially shrimp. When his nieces, Karin & Linda visited him (and oftentimes Linda’s mom, Ann), the day was not complete unless they ventured to Captain Tom’s Seafood. He never let Karin forget the time that she left his carryout box on the roof of the car and drove off. Everyone looked in the rear-view mirror as it went flying down the highway! And yes, John requested an immediate U-Turn to go back to Captain Tom’s for more shrimp! He loved sweet treats, especially Liz Lester’s pound cake, Karin’s carrot cake for birthdays, and chocolate covered coconut candy. And he loved pecans and cashews! In fact, he fancied himself a bit of a nut connoisseur, which seems to be a family trait he shared with his siblings.

John was sweet and calm, always unassuming, quiet, and kind. People enjoyed being around him. He never wanted to compete. Not one for many words, John preferred one-on-one conversations to groups. Though quiet-natured, John had a quick wit. He would wink when he was teasing you—the only telltale sign that he was, indeed, just joking. John was a beloved uncle. He was spirited, loved talking to and joking with Karin; kindly arguing and bantering with Linda. He enjoyed his King’s Grant friend and neighbor, Norma, who always encouraged him to “get up and go,” his friends on the Healthcare Floor who shared Army stories, his noodle ball teammates, his occasional billiards buddies, and his dear friend Dan.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Elliott Grayson Bourne, Sr., and Gladys Moss Bourne; his beloved older sister, Ellwee Bourne Miller; sister-in-law, Ann Smith Bourne Register; and nephew, Gene “The Bean” Dozier.

John is survived by his niece, Linda Anne Bourne and niece-in-love, Karin Frances Mills, both of whom he loved dearly; and twin brother, Elliott Grayson Bourne, Jr.

We’d like to thank the Staff at King’s Grant Retirement Community for their kindnesses to our family, and care and love extended to John over the last eight years, most especially this last, challenging year.

John did not wish for a formal memorial service. In honor of John’s life, we ask that you make donations to your local animal shelter or to the SPCA of Henry County, VA, (www.spcamhc.org)