John Harvey Banks
October 16, 1936 ~ January 21, 2023
Born in:
Ruleville, MS
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
John Harvey Banks, 86, passed January 21, 2023. John, son of the late Robert Banks and Margaret Banks, is survived by his beloved wife of fifty-three years, Sue Humpston Banks; son, Aaron T. Banks (Deanna); and granddaughters, Catelyn E. Banks and Zoe K. Banks, of Asheville; and daughter, Margaret E. Banks (Doug), of Townsend, GA. He is also survived by his brother, Thomas W Banks (Jerri).
John served in the Air Force from 1958 to 1961, graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, and retired from the Veterans Administration. He was an avid reader and continually strove to pour knowledge into his deep well of wisdom. He was a life-long student of baseball and the Chicago Cubs, taking as many 9-inning vacations with family and friends as he could get.
Late in life, when asked what gives him peace of mind, John replied, “I have never known what peace of mind is, but I will try to give you a piece of mine. Everyone seems to seek it, some through yoga or meditation, or other means. I have never sought it, but sometimes special life events or personal experiences may offer some measure of it. Without going into deeply philosophical reasons, I don’t think that’s what one should seek. My mind is always running amok, sometimes in serious thought, but often in random ways. I don’t know what that says about me, but at this stage of my life I don’t expect any big changes. I can say with certainty that since I met Sue Humpston and we had our wonderful son and daughter, and eventually their families, that I have had all the peace of mind that I could have asked for.”
There will be a memorial service held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 25 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville, NC 28801.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks to please make a donation to Make-A-Wish Foundation, or NCMedAssist. Make-A-Wish helps create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, and NCMedAssist provides life-saving prescriptions to North Carolinians in need.
Services
Memorial Service: March 25, 2023 1:00 pm
Unitarian Universalist Congregation
1 Edwin Place
Asheville, NC 28801
Funeral Home Assisting The Family:
Groce Funeral Home - Patton Ave.
1401 Patton Ave.
Asheville, NC 28806
(828)252-3535
http://www.grocefuneralhome.com
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Much love & fond memories
Aaron, Deanna, Catelyn and Zoe,
So sorry to learn of John’s passing. May precious memories comfort you at this difficult time. Wishing you and your family peace and love.
Kim, Mike & Damian
John was a wonderful fine caring man that Carolyn and I loved dearly/ I’ll miss my daily walks and talks with him and Rodney and I will miss going to the Tourists baseball games that he loved to attend / he kept us focused on the game and not on the other distractions at the game ( beer/ girls / popcorn/ iPhones/ )
He really loved baseball and statistics!
And the Cubs ! We will all miss him and his nice smile and good advice when we
“ strayed from the truth “ kinda …
No better kinder man than John / I know he’s in the line-up today playing with other Tennessee and Asheville Angels !!
My walks won’t be the same without him
to encourage me to keep moving / he made me a better person / when you look up gentleman in the dictionary you’ll see a picture of Dr John Banks / Peace !
What a lovely neighbor John was! We will all miss him.
What can I say? John was the most loving man I know and his quiet peaceful ways will be sorely missed. Peace to Sue, Aaron, Deanna, Catlin, Zoe, Maggie and Doug.
Our love and thoughts are with you and your family. Steve & Kendra Rudder
My condolences on the loss of John, a beloved man and husband of Sue, a beautiful human being. I’m glad they enjoyed so many years together, created a beautiful family, and loved one another deeply. May they both be at peace knowing the veil separating them is thin and love crosses in both directions.
Sue, So sorry to hear of John’s passing. Many many hugs. Hope that we can give you those hugs in person in the not too distant future.
Sue, I’m so sorry to learn of the passing of your husband, John. Though I didn’t know John well, when we did meet it was easy to see what a good man he was and how much you loved each other. You are held close in my heart and prayers.