John Thomas Mize

John Thomas Mize, loving husband, father, and grandfather, passed away at the age of 82 on Friday, December 11, 2020, with his family by his side. John was born on June 28, 1938 in Atlanta, Georgia to John Franklin and Lottie (Pace) Mize. He attended O’Keefe High School in Atlanta and college at Georgia Tech.

His career included a variety of jobs, all of which reflected his diverse interests. It all began with his passion for books and owning a bookstore downtown. Then he was an insurance broker, a real estate broker, owned a travel agency and led student tours to New York City and Europe, and has been part of the North Gwinnett High School family since the mid-1990s.

In October of 1973, John began dating Susan Lynn Koerner while on a charter trip with mutual friends to Athens, Greece. After spending their first date dancing and smashing plates with the locals and talking in a park until the sun came up, they knew it was meant to be and were married on August 3, 1974. They raised two daughters, Heather and Holly. John’s girls were the center of his world and he supported them in all their interests. He was a Girl Scout troop co-leader, spent countless hours at the dance studio, spent weekends picnicking or camping in the North Georgia mountains, coached softball, cheered them on at swim meets, and mucked out a lot of horse stalls. When his girls became more serious about horses, he bought a farm and enjoyed many years as a part-time farmer.

John’s family grew when Heather married Michael Korey in 2001. He was excited that Heather found a loving and devoted husband, plus he finally had another male in the family to talk about sports with. His heart grew when he became a grandfather, aka “Peanut”, 13 years ago, to their son Alex. John loved when Alex would come up to the farm on the weekends and ride the tractor around with him. They also shared a love of North Georgia, so John and Susan, aka “G.G.”, would often pack a picnic and head up to one of their favorite fishing spots. About 5 years ago Alex started playing golf and of course John was right there with him.

John had not played in many years and his love for the game was quickly rekindled. He was out on the course every chance he had, and Holly joined him from time to time. He joined the Senior Golf League at Pine Hills Golf Club in Winder, GA and always looked forward to his Tuesday and Thursday morning rounds of golf.

John was eager to experience life and appreciated every step of his journey. He was a Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech, he was a lifelong student of history, and his desire to travel the world was undeniable. He and Susan loved traveling together and as soon as their girls were old enough, they were always along for the ride. The family took every opportunity to travel around the U.S. and across the world together. They were very blessed to have had many incredible experiences and made innumerable beautiful memories together. In total, John was able to visit 34 U.S. states and 39 countries and territories, and he loved every second of it.

John was preceded in death by his father John Franklin, his mother Lottie, and his sister Clara Harris. He is survived by his wife Susan, his daughters Heather and Holly, his son-in-law Mike, his grandson Alex, and his brother Walter. He is also very loved by Susan’s sister Diane, her husband Dennis, their daughters Meredith and Megan, and their families.

John never met a stranger and he truly cherished all his family and friends. He often spoke fondly of his North Gwinnett High School family, his golf buddies from Pine Hills Golf Club, the alumni group from O’Keefe High School, and so many others he knew. 

John specifically requested we not hold a traditional funeral service, but he would love nothing more than for his friends and family to get together and celebrate his life. To share infamous John Mize stories, please drop by the Duncan Creek Park pavilion (3700 Braselton Hwy, Dacula, GA 30019) between 3:00 to 5:00 pm this Friday, December 18, 2020.

To express condolences, please sign our online guest book at www.flaniganfuneralhome.com.  Arrangements By: Junior E. Flanigan of Flanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, Buford, GA (770) 932-1133.