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John Rock, Jr. Obituary
He is survived by his loving wife of 15 years, Christine Barrett Rock; five step-children that he lovingly called his own, Mike Jory, John Jory III, and Brian Jory of Suffolk, Cindy Jory King of Windsor, and Theresa Jory Stephenson (Joe) of Chesapeake; five grandchildren; and 9 great-grandchildren. Nieces, Pat Williams of Suffolk, Kathy Grook (John) of Cape Charles, Melanie Tobin (Billy) of Suffolk, and Carol Jean Cohen (Mike) of FL also mourn his passing.
John was an avid artist, woodworker and Redskins fan. He enjoyed sharing his talents with family and friends as well as his extended family at Covenant United Methodist Church where he was an active member. He will be sadly missed by his special friends that joined him for coffee and laughter at Chesapeake Square Mall almost daily.
A funeral service will be held on Friday, June 19, at 1 PM in Sturtevant Funeral Home, Portsmouth Blvd. Chapel by the Rev. Frank Jennings. Burial with military honors will be in Olive Branch Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Thursday from 7-8:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Covenant UMC Building Fund.
Memories and Condolences
for John Rock, Jr.
6 Entries
Greg Abbott
June 25, 2015
I last saw John several years ago at IHOP, just after he and Christine were married, and I could tell John was the old John, happy again. Thank you Christine for bringing such joy again to my old coach's heart.
One of John's many volunteer projects was coaching the early softball teams for Covenant. He treated all of his players like family, the younger (at the time) of us as sons, as did June. That first year we won 3 games, and you'd have thought we won the World Series, some of the older guys had not won a game at all, I think, until John came out to coach the team.
John was always encouraging and always had a good word for us win, lose, or draw. And, at the end of the season, he would open his home to us for the greatest crab-picking parties I have ever attended, always the perfect host, ensuring we had all we could eat and drink....and those boys could eat, drink, and tell funny stories late into the night, with John leading the way!
By the time we stopped playing, we'd become a .500 team, getting a little better every year under John's guidance, and getting more members of the church to come out after they'd heard about the fun John instilled in everyone.
While involved with softball, John also recruited a few of us into his other passion which was boating. Here, too, I learned an awful lot from John, and from his friends in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, learning about the two happiest days in a boat owner's life!
I am sure that several of his ballplayers, Phil and Kelly come quickly to mind, greeted John when his generous, gracious spirit left this earth for Heaven, but as they find out about his passing, Matt, Bill, Frank, Ron, Larry, Dave and Andy, to mention a few, will join my brothers Bob & Bill and brother Chris in reminiscing as we did last week about the times we shared on the softball field, and the even better times we spent off of it with Coach. John was one of a kind!
Maj. J. Jones
June 18, 2015
Mr. John Rock was a morning regular at Chesapeake Square Mall. I do security at the mall and it was always a pleasure listening to his stories and jokes. He was well liked and respected. He will be truly missed by us all. RIP Mr. Rock.
Donald Chastang
June 18, 2015
Rest in peace Mr. Rock
Leslie Spivey
June 17, 2015
My sincerest condolences to the family.
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Aaron King
June 17, 2015
We will miss you
Cindy King
June 17, 2015
Love you pop
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Memorial Events
for John Rock, Jr.
Jun
18
Visitation
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Sturtevant Funeral Home- Portsmouth Blvd. Chapel5201 PORTSMOUTH BLVD, Portsmouth, VA 23701
Jun
19
Funeral service
1:00 p.m.
Sturtevant Funeral Home- Portsmouth Blvd. Chapel5201 PORTSMOUTH BLVD, Portsmouth, VA 23701
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Sturtevant Funeral Home- Portsmouth Blvd. Chapel5201 PORTSMOUTH BLVD, Portsmouth, VA 23701