John Allen Summerall

John Allen Summerall, known as “Murt” or “Murdock”, was born June 7,1961 in Columbus, Ohio. He attended East High School and grew up in what became his favorite place, Bolivar Arms. 

On July 12, 2025, John passed away at the age of 64. He was preceded in death by his father L.C. Sankey; stepfather John W. Summerall; grandmother Lillie Mae Barnett; grandfather Willie Barnett Sr.; brother William Lee Summerall; sister Diane Sankey; stepson Todd Barksdale.

He is survived by his mother Allie Mae Barnett; daughters Sondra Hill, Teiana Hill, and stepdaughter Chelsea (Ryan) Laird; sons John Hill and Jonti Robertson; sisters Lillie Ruth Watters, Allie “Rabbit” Yonley, Missy Crawford, Donna Alexander, and Linda (Jeffery) Watson; brothers Alex (Latisha) Crawford and John “Man” (Katherine) Summerall. 14 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, many nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Special childhood friend Thomas Barnett. 

John was a hilarious jokester that kept everyone in the room laughing. He never called anyone by their actual name, he always assigned you a special nickname that he remembered each time that he saw you. His greatest love was the sport of Boxing! In 1970, he began training at just 9 years old and quickly proved to be a natural talent. With the guidance of his coach and mentor, Mr. Ed Williams, he quickly excelled in the ring. He was well respected for his powerful, lightning-fast punches. Known for skipping practice yet showing up and winning fights in just a couple of rounds, he built a reputation of dominance. He traveled across the U.S. and Internationally, taking charge wherever he competed. He had many accomplishments: Boxer of the Year, Golden Gloves, Jr. Olympics Champ, Region 6 Champion, AAU, ABF, 5 wins at the Ohio State Fair, and he fought in the actual Olympic trials. John earned numerous trophies, awards, and medals; also featured in several newspaper articles highlighting his remarkable skills. Decades later in 2018, he was still being celebrated. His family and friends attended an exciting ceremony, honoring him as a Columbus Boxing Legend. In his famous words “RizzAll was a baaaad…!”