John R. Harper Jr.

HARPER, John R. Jr., 67, of Bokeelia, Fla., passed away Tuesday morning December 9, 2008. Born in Warsaw, Va. on June 13, 1941, John was the son of the late John R. Harper Sr. and Edith Childs Sirles Harper. John was a lifelong resident of Winchester, Va until early 2007, when he fulfilled his dream of living next to the open water and moved to Southwest Florida's Gulf coast. John was a self-described country boy, who loved his family very much and lived to fish. He worked hard his whole life, was honest, kind, generous and dedicated father. He would not hesitate to help any who asked. He was also a member of the Big Brothers & Big Sisters organization. John always put his family first. He is survived by his daughter, Cynthia Kovach and husband, Ranall of Ft. Myers, Fla.; his son, Keith Harper and wife, Stephanie of Glen Burnie, Md.; his sister, Harriette Potter of Warsaw, Va.; one nephew, R. Eugene Potter; and three nieces, Linda Sokol, Sharon Hart, and Patsy Edwards; his little brother, Phil Christopher; as well many other friends and family who will miss him dearly. John is loved by his family very much and we will miss him, but find comfort in knowing we will see him again. Services will be held at 2 p.m. on December 13, 2008 at the Totuskey Baptist Church in Warsaw, Va. under the direction of Welch Furneral Home.
This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.