John William Ragland, 80, passed onto his eternal rest on May 29, 2022 in Orlando, FL. He was born in the Lake Underhill area on August 12, 1941, to parents Sarah Frances Patrick and George William Ragland.
John grew up in New Smyrna Beach with his parents, brother and 3 sisters. At 18, he entered the U. S. Army and served in the Army and the Reserves for 5 years. He spent over a year in Korea. John met his wife Joanne when they were neighbors in Jacksonville, FL and he was in school at Florida Technical College. They married on June 17, 1967 and celebrated 54 years together.
They moved to Orlando in 1968 when he was hired to teach computer programming. He was a Jack of all trades who passed on his love of building, fixing and tinkering to his kids. John and Joanne owned and maintained 6 rental properties between Orlando and Jacksonville, as well as owning a delivery service for over 25 years.
John enjoyed traveling, taking cruises and spending time with family. He also liked reading western novels, tapping his toes to jazz music and making his family laugh with his dry sense of humor. He took pride in the fact that his family was some of the earlier settlers in the Orlando area before Florida became a state.
He is survived by his wife Joanne Ragland, 3 children David Ragland, Jerry Ragland and Allison Kent along with 5 grandchildren Christina, Lily, Alicia, Madison and Jack as well as his sister Joyce Dove. He is preceded in death by his parents Sarah Frances Patrick Herndon and George William Ragland, brother Eugene Carson and sisters Sally Decker and Lucille Millard.