John E. Mainwaring Sr.

John E Mainwaring Sr., of Chiefland, Florida passed away on July 25, 2021, at the age of 80, after admitted briefly to Hospice, surrounded by loved ones who will continue to honor his legacy by living their lives to the fullest. His battle with dementia in recent years showed his courage in facing life's challenges with a smile. Despite the pain, John stayed strong until the end.
John met the love of his life, Sheila Gay in 1958, while in high school, where they fell in love and married on August 12, 1961. They started their beautiful family, with their oldest son, John "Big John" Mainwaring, Jr.; middle son, Scott K. Mainwaring (wife, Melanie) and daughter; Cindy Kingston. As a family they loved to spend time together outdoors hunting and fishing at their hunting camp. Being a kind and dependable father was of the utmost importance to John and he wholeheartedly loved his family.
John served as the vice president of Recycled Paper Greeting Card Company, where he worked until he retired in the summer of 1998. He and his family moved to Chiefland to settle and fully enjoy his retirement.
The simplest pleasures in life brought great joy to John. He loved spending his days hunting and fishing with his friends and family and founded the Big Oak Tree Hunting Camp in 1961. His pleasant personality was contagious to everyone he met, and he will be fondly remembered for his smile, warmth and love for his family and life.
In addition to his beautiful wife and children, John is survived by his sister, Nona Mainwaring Bennett, brother, William "Bill" Mainwaring, and his granddaughters Sydney Lee Jury (husband, Jonathan), Kaitlyn L. Kingston and Larkin H. Mainwaring.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Big Oak Tree Camp at a later date and time.
"As long as we remember a person, they're not really gone. Their thoughts, their feelings, their memories, they become a part of us."