John Justus

1926 - 2015

(News story) John P. Justus, a self-taught guitarist and fiddler who immersed himself in theory - and performance - and who won respect as a teacher and working musician, died Monday in Foundation Park Alzheimer's Care Center, where he lived for nearly a year. He was 88.

He had Alzheimer's disease, among other health issues, his wife, Hazel, said.

For decades, Mr. Justus played guitar at night clubs and country clubs and for occasions across northwest Ohio.

When the wedding reception for Bob Hope's son, Tony, and Judith Richards was held at the Commodore Perry Hotel in 1967, bandleader Jack Runyan, who had the gig, called Mr. Justus to play.

"He was thrilled," his daughter Gloria said. For many engagements, Mr. Justus might play music for dining and dancing, maybe something Frank Sinatra sang.

He also was "a good jazz player," said musician Gene Parker, a friend since the 1960s. "He was an all-around musician. He had a lot to offer other musicians and his students."

Mr. Justus seemed comfortable in many settings, said Fred Shuman, co-owner of Durdel's Music in Toledo.

"He was a great improviser and, for lack of a better word, he played with fire," Mr. Shuman said. "He was enthusiastic when he played. You could tell he enjoyed it. In guitar circles, he certainly deserves all the accolades."

Later in life, Mr. Justus' daughter said, he "came full circle and played more bluegrass and played more fiddle than guitar."

In 2008, he released a CD, John Justus at Indian Ridge through the University of Toledo Urban Affairs Center.

He moved to Toledo from his native Alabama after World War II, but factory work didn't suit him.

"Just couldn't handle it, man. I just kept leaning toward my music, hung onto my music," Mr. Justus told The Blade in 2008. He started by concentrating on one song he'd heard on the radio, figuring it out in detail and playing it repeatedly - itself a lesson in discipline. He played on television and radio shows, in country and western bands, and in clubs. But when a teaching opportunity arose, he felt inadequate to the task. He bought the most basic of guitar instruction books and worked on his formal knowledge of music, sometimes after a night of performing in a club.

"The more he learned, the more he wanted to learn," his wife said.

He later had high expectations of his students - that they know how to read music and learn basic skills and, ideally, some theory.

"I was a pretty hard teacher - well known for being hard-nosed," Mr. Justus told The Blade in 2008. Some of his students went on to professional careers in a variety of genres, from country to rock to jazz.

"He inspired a lot of people," Mr. Shuman said.

Mr. Justus also was a piano technician and tuner.

He was born May 23, 1926, in Fort Payne, Ala., to Nellie and William Justus. He joined the Navy in World War II, but became an Army paratrooper in the South Pacific.

He was a chess player.

Surviving are his wife, Hazel, whom he married Feb. 23, 1947; daughters Linda Lieber and Gloria Justus; sisters Patsy Bouldin and Brenda Justus, and brother, Tony Justus.

Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday in Newcomer Funeral Home on West Laskey Road, where the family will receive guests after 11 a.m.

The family suggests tributes to the Alzheimer's Association, northwest Ohio chapter.

This story was written by Blade Staff Writer Mark Zaborney. Contact him at: mzaborney@theblade.com">mzaborney@theblade.com">mzaborney@theblade.com">mzaborney@theblade.com or 419-724-6182.