John Spear

John Dixon Spear, 84, of the Wartrace community in Moore County, Tennessee, was tragically killed in an auto accident, Sunday, February 22, 2026, in Wartrace, Tennessee.

John, along with his late wife Mildred, owned and operated Ledford Mill Bed and Breakfast in Moore County for over 20 years. He was born August 7, 1941, in Portland, Oregon, to the late Dixon Mitchelmore Spear and Margaret Harkness Spear Johnson.

John excelled in his studies at the acclaimed Lakeside School in Seattle and he later graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington and Columbia University in New York City. He served as a corporate data administrator at Armstrong World Industries for over 28 years. Other highlights of his career were assignments creating and developing new computer operations at several locations including Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England, Einstein Medical Center and McKesson HBOC in Pennsylvania.

John married Mildred Eschmann Spear, April 15, 1967, in Macon, Georgia, and together they visited all fifty states, all seven continents, and a total of 88 countries. Since Mildred's passing, John had added another six countries to his list. On one of his trips to Tennessee, John stumbled across a historic mill, log cabin and surrounding wooded acreage for sale at the intersection of Ledford Mill and Shipman Creek Roads in Moore County. After finalizing the purchase, he called his wife Mildred with the exciting news that they now owned a Bed & Breakfast! Before settling on their new property in Tennessee, the couple lived in Pensacola, Florida; Lancaster and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Norwell, Massachusetts; and several places in England.

He was an avid collector of pre-1860 American and British board and card games and was a charter member of The Association of Game and Puzzle Collectors Association. He and his late wife Mildred also collected antiques, and he was a member of the Antique Toy Collectors of America. Locally he actively supported the Metropolitan Lynchburg / Moore County Chamber of Commerce, where he served as head of the website committee, and he supported the Friends of Animals Rescue and Adoption Center in Lynchburg. John was a lover of nature, people, animals and of life. He was highly intelligent, humble and a great conversationalist. John was loved by all who knew him.

In addition to his parents, John was preceded in death by his loving wife of over 53 years, Mildred Eschmann Spear; brother Alan Johnson; and stepfather Folger Johnson, Jr. Survivors include brothers, Bruce A. (Leanne) Johnson of Oregon, Brian W. (Pattie) Johnson of British Columbia; brother-in-law Edgar A. (Barbara) Eschmann of Georgia, sister-in-law Clare E. (Jack) Fisher of Nashville, and several nieces and nephews.

John is also survived by Carol Collet of Wartrace, whom he met February 26, 2025. Their short year together was a reminder of how enriching both of their former marriages had been and how wonderful it was to love and be loved again. The last year of John's life with Carol was filled with joy, laughter, and special times with their families and friends. Together, they were young at heart.

A memorial service is being planned for the near future with Jennings- Moore-Cortner Funeral Home, 181 Majors Blvd., Lynchburg, Tennessee, handling the details. The family requests memorial donations be made to Friends of Animals Rescue and Adoption Center, P.O. Box 8015, Lynchburg, TN 3735