John Barnard Law Jr., born January 9th 1935, died from a blood infection February 8th 2011. John was a true Georgia native being born in Atlanta; he attended Morningside Elementary and graduated from Grady High School. After getting his Mechanical Engineering degree from Georgia Tech he joined the Navy where he piloted airplanes off Aircraft Carriers and earned his wings. Fresh out of the Navy, he joined Delta Airlines as an Engineer, but quickly learned that handling the controls was much more fun than watching someone else fly the airplane. John loved his job at Delta and retired as an International Captain at the mandatory age of 60 in 1995. After traveling the globe for 35 years as a pilot his light-hearted humor led him to say "the last thing I want to do is sit in an airport and wait on an airplane". Instead, he maintained his passion by flying his personal fleet of small airplanes to New Smyrna Beach, FL and if he was ever given the opportunity, would have docked a floater plane at his home on Lake Lanier. John had a knack for fixing anything. He rarely called a repairman. He repaired lawn equipment, airplanes, cars and boats. He loved his family and friends, pets and animals.
He was a devoted husband to his wife, Ellen, for 49 years, and caring father to 3 children: Tres, Terry and Buzz. He was the proud grandfather of Nick and Alex Malone, Robert, Elliott, Austin and Ansley Law. John was committed to his church and was a Deacon and Finance Committee member. He enjoyed Thursday lunches each month with the "Grady Bunch" back in Atlanta. Thursday mornings were reserved for the Retired Delta Pilots' breakfast in Gainesville. He will be missed by all who knew him as a man of integrity, personal strength, humility, and honesty.
The funeral service will be held on Friday at 2:00 at St. Paul's Methodist Church in Gainesville. A reception at the church will follow the service. A private burial will follow the reception. The family has asked that those who wish to make a memorial donation in John's name to please contact: St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 404 Washington St., Gainesville, GA 30501.
Memorial Park Funeral Home, 2030 Memorial Park Road, Gainesville, GA 30504 is in charge of arrangements.
Send online condolences to www.memorialparkfuneralhomes.com.
