1940
John
2021
John Dooley
April 25, 1940 — May 1, 2021
John Dooley, 81, of Bennett, NC peacefully passed away in his home on Saturday, May 1, 2021 surrounded by his children. He was born on April 25, 1940 in Richmond, VA to the late James Chesterfield Dooley and Bessie Lee Atkinson Dooley. In addition to his parents, John was preceded in death by his two brothers, William Dooley and James Dooley.
John is survived by his daughter, Claudia L. Dooley of the home (Grand-dogs Axel & Leena), and son, John C. “JC” Dooley (Cecile) of Siler City. Grandchildren Jaycee & Tanner Dooley and Kelsey Morris; nephew, Kenny Dooley and his wife, Tamako (children Kenta & Matt) of Haymarket, VA. Also surviving are numerous other family and special friends.
John spent his childhood years in Bedford, VA, graduating from Bedford High School in 1958. John began working for Kroger Company before enlisting in the United States Army in March, 1963. In January 1964, John found himself serving as gunner and helicopter crew chief with the Army’s 145th Aviation Battalion. With headquarters just outside of Saigon, John flew all over South Vietnam in action against the Viet Cong, supporting the Vietnam Army ground forces. Specialist Four John Dooley was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, meaning he had earned it five times.
After proudly defending his country, John enjoyed driving charter buses for many years before retiring from Trailways Transportation. He continued driving privately for Daycon before moving his family to Bear Creek in 1991 where he owned & operated a chicken farm as well as a local country store. When John found time, he enjoyed woodworking and horseback riding. After his final retirement, John moved to Bennett, NC where he enjoyed spending time with his children, grandchildren and Grand-dogs.
A graveside service and celebration of John’s life will be conducted at 2:00 pm on Thursday, May 6, 2021, in the Greenwood Cemetery in Bedford, VA. To send condolence online, please visit obituaries.tharpfuneralhome.com. Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Bedford is assisting the family.
John is survived by his daughter, Claudia L. Dooley of the home (Grand-dogs Axel & Leena), and son, John C. “JC” Dooley (Cecile) of Siler City. Grandchildren Jaycee & Tanner Dooley and Kelsey Morris; nephew, Kenny Dooley and his wife, Tamako (children Kenta & Matt) of Haymarket, VA. Also surviving are numerous other family and special friends.
John spent his childhood years in Bedford, VA, graduating from Bedford High School in 1958. John began working for Kroger Company before enlisting in the United States Army in March, 1963. In January 1964, John found himself serving as gunner and helicopter crew chief with the Army’s 145th Aviation Battalion. With headquarters just outside of Saigon, John flew all over South Vietnam in action against the Viet Cong, supporting the Vietnam Army ground forces. Specialist Four John Dooley was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, meaning he had earned it five times.
After proudly defending his country, John enjoyed driving charter buses for many years before retiring from Trailways Transportation. He continued driving privately for Daycon before moving his family to Bear Creek in 1991 where he owned & operated a chicken farm as well as a local country store. When John found time, he enjoyed woodworking and horseback riding. After his final retirement, John moved to Bennett, NC where he enjoyed spending time with his children, grandchildren and Grand-dogs.
A graveside service and celebration of John’s life will be conducted at 2:00 pm on Thursday, May 6, 2021, in the Greenwood Cemetery in Bedford, VA. To send condolence online, please visit obituaries.tharpfuneralhome.com. Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Bedford is assisting the family.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John Dooley, please visit our flower store.
Guestbook
Visits: 14
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors