John Monroe Pafford Sr.

1947 - 2022

John Pafford

John Monroe Pafford Sr., 74, of Brunswick, Ga., passed away Sunday, March 13, 2022 at his residence, among family and close friends.

A lifelong native of Brunswick, John was born May 22, 1947, to the late John Marvin Pafford and the late Aleph Strickland Pafford. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his older brothers, Larry Mills Pafford and Lester Marvin Pafford, both of whom he greatly missed.

John attended local schools Ballard Elementary, Jane Macon Middle, and Glynn Academy, during which time he was a founding member of the Ballard Buzzards, an informal yet intrepid band of buddies whose pick-up sports games and various other escapades were the stuff of legend. A member of the Glynn Academy graduating class of 1965, he always regretted not being able to attend any of the 1964 Glynn Academy State Football Championship games. His father having passed away when he was 15 years old, John's working career began during high school, after school hours, and there was no time to either participate in or attend school sporting events.

Following graduation, John spent some time at Brunswick Junior College, now College of Coastal Georgia, where he occupied center position on the basketball team and enjoyed special sessions in the Student Center playing cards and discussing baseball with his favorite professors. He unfortunately skipped numerous classes in favor of hunting, fishing, and camping on the Altamaha River. Prior to flunking out, he received his A-1 draft classification and promptly enlisted in the U.S. Army.

During his military service, favorite duty stations included the Everglades, Fla., and Frankfurt, Germany. A memorable R&R in Australia presented John with the unusual opportunity to accompany a wildlife biologist on an Outback scientific excursion, an experience he loved to recount to anyone who would listen. On the other hand, his tour of duty in Vietnam was one he seldom mentioned and only reluctantly discussed, not unlike many of his contemporaries. In much later years, however, he proudly bore a Vietnam Veteran sticker on his truck, and unfailingly thanked others who displayed the same emblem for their faithful service.

Upon honorary discharge from the Army, John returned to college, this time seriously, and undertook a degree in biology from Georgia Southern College, now Georgia Southern University. Having fallen in love under a campus magnolia grandiflora, John and his sweetheart, the former Mary Miller from Savannah, Ga., were married in February 1975 and graduated college the following June.

After brief employments with the Brunswick and Union Camp Paper corporations and then in the construction industry, John embarked on a 34-year career as a marine biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. While working first in the Commercial Fisheries Division and then transferring into Recreational Fisheries, John spent pleasurable years on the saltwater he loved, among like-minded men and women with whom he formed valued friendships that long surpassed the workplace, essentially engaged in an enjoyable hobby. As evidenced by scientific reports, statistical analyses, annual survey results, and contributions to various DNR publications, however, the job truly reflected his initial college baccalaureate, and as of 1983, his later-attained Master of Science in Biology degree.

In his final years at DNR, John served as Supervisor of Recreational Fisheries, and although this promotion relieved him from field duties, it provided him the opportunity to scout out appropriate coastal areas for new and/or updated recreational fishing facilities. In this capacity he oversaw the planning, construction, and maintenance of boat ramps and docks, fishing piers, and observation decks. Consequently, all along the Georgia coast there are numerous public testimonies to John's considerable efforts to facilitate and enhance the public's exposure to our beautiful natural resources.

John's dedication to his work was recognized through the years by various citations, plaques, and awards. Notable among these were a DNR Meritorious Service award in 1981 for "exceptional job performance, leadership, cooperativeness, and devotion to duty;" a 1993 Resolution of Commendation from the Georgia Board of Natural Resources for the "design and supervision of construction of the Earth Day Nature Trail" situated on the local DNR premises; and the 1995 Georgia Wildlife Federation Special Conservation Achievement Award for Marine Education. This latter award calls to mind John's ever-willing participation in countless school classroom presentations, Smokey the Bear appearances, and judging of science fair projects, as well as his tireless efforts contributing to the annual success of the DNR Coast Fest and Parent-Child Fishing Derby, two events that he loved almost as much as the youth they served.

While some of John's DNR-related public educational activities coincidentally aligned with the growth and progression through school of his two sons, so did non-job-related volunteer positions such as assistant leader of Cub Scout Pack 224, coach of various Ballard Recreational sports teams, organizer and foreman of school playground construction, and honored booster club president of NJROTC.

In his spare time, John enjoyed woodworking activities, having inherited his father's workshop tools and employing them to good use throughout his lifetime.

During their college breaks, both of John's sons were pressed into the service of Pafford Docks and Decks, an actual marine construction company that John incorporated to ensure no college debt followed his offspring past graduation. As a result of this endeavor, both sons have foregone labor-intensive careers, and a multitude of private structures also provide examples of John's sturdy and attractive work.

Other projects John completed, as labors of love throughout the years, include kitchen, bathroom, and gun cabinets; tables; benches; bunk beds, desks, a Lego table, dollhouses, bookshelves; workshops; storage sheds; fences; gates; gazebos; a greenhouse; swing sets; forts and a tiny fairy cottage. Upon retirement, John enjoyed spending time with family, especially engaged in ruthless games of tic-tac-toe, dominoes, and various board games. He had also traded his hunting gear for high-quality binoculars and spent precious leisure time on his back porch rocking chair, admiring wildlife, his pecan and fruit "orchard," acres of former wild growth entanglements tamed by his hands into pleasing vistas, a frog pond, and his lake-side dock, all framed within magnificent sunsets.

John is survived by his loving wife of 47 years,1 month, and 13 days, Mary Miller Pafford, who cherishes their much-too-brief time together and will miss him every day.

He is also survived by his two much-loved sons and their treasured families, John Monroe Pafford Jr., his wife, Taylor Driskill Pafford, and their children, Millie and Eliza; and Zachary Miller Pafford, his wife, Chunyuan "Cathy" Fan, and their children, Zoe and Emma.

Other survivors include three sisters-in-law whom he regarded as true siblings, Dianne Johnson Pafford, Christie Wages Pafford, and Gloria Miller; and two adopted grand-dogs, Toby (the Taiwanese Wonder Dog) and Eddie (not so wondrous), who provided him outstanding canine companionship and loyalty.

He is also survived by a number of nephews and nieces, their spouses, and their children, of whom he was very fond, Larry Mills Pafford Jr., his wife Tina, and their five children; Deanna Clayton and her daughter; Jeffrey Pafford, his wife Jackie, and their three children; Beth Pafford and her three children; Cynthia Pafford Douberly, her husband Don, and their three daughters; Scott Pafford, his wife Jennifer, and their two sons; Jason Pafford, his wife Amy, and their daughter; and Steven Pafford. This basic two-generational crew has produced an even larger brood of great-great-Pafford relatives, all of whom are suitably precious.

While devoted to his wife, incredibly proud of his sons and their wise selection of brilliant, beautiful, and talented spouses, it was his four beloved granddaughters that brought their Papa the greatest joy in his final eight years of life. Papa solemnly promised them that he would "always be smiling down on them." Because of his love of nature and the great outdoors, which, non-coincidentally, is shared by each grandchild, Papa was asked to please send special gifts of nature as a reminder that he is watching. The girls have already noted a particularly blue sky with fluffy clouds, a sudden outburst of birdsong, and an unusually colored rock come their way, to which we all say in unison, "Thank you, Papa!"

While there are no services scheduled at this time, the family plans a future celebration of John's life, to include any and all who wish to remember this fine man.

In lieu of customary remembrances, contributions may be made in John's honor to any donor-choice charitable organization. John did, however, have a special affinity for the KGIB (Keep Golden Isles Beautiful) mission and staff.

Arrangements were entrusted to Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home and Oglethorpe Crematorium in Brunswick, Ga. Condolences, expressions of sympathy, and fond memories may continue to be shared through the Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home obituary website.

Family-placed obituary

The Brunswick News, April 9, 2022