John Earl Spring Jr.

Published 12:01 am Tuesday, July 10, 2018

RIDGELAND — Services for John Earl “Buddy” Spring Jr., 80, of Madison, who died Saturday, July 7, 2018, at his residence, were Monday, July 9, 2018, at Parkway Funeral Home in Ridgeland.
Burial followed in Meadville with his family under the direction of Parkway Funeral Home.
Mr. Spring was born in New Orleans, but spent his childhood in Brookhaven. He was a 1955 graduate of Brookhaven High School and was named Mr. Brookhaven High. He attended Mississippi State University before accepting a football scholarship at Copiah-Lincoln and Louisiana college, where he then graduated. He has since been an avid Mississippi State fan and loved watching the Bulldogs play.
Spring married Patricia Ann Corban of Meadville in 1957, and they recently celebrated 60 years of marriage. He loved being surrounded by his family and friends. He enjoyed hunting at Wells Creek Hunting Club in Franklin County, playing golf with his friends and spending time on the tractor at Cowbell Farms. His career in the highway construction business spanned for more than 40 years, beginning with his longtime business partner and dear friend, Andy Pressgrove. The company, American United Products, was based in Natchez. After a merger with Choctaw Inc., later Hansen American, he relocated to Madison to be near his children and grandchildren. Upon his retirement from Hansen, he remained active in the construction business and joined Bulldog Construction on a part-time basis with Stan and Nancy Black.
He was a devoted husband and family man and spent the majority of his time with his children, grandchildren and friends. He also attended and was a former deacon at First Baptist Church in Madison.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John Earl Spring Sr. and Hulda Montgomery Spring; one sister, Sylvia Netherland; and brother-in-law, Mickey Corban.
Survivors include his wife, Patricia Ann Corban Spring; two sons, Gregory Bryan Spring and wife, Vicki, of Madison, and Johy Kyle Spring and wife, Kim, of Pensacola, Fla.; one brother, Gene Spring; two brothers-in-law, Vernon Netherland and Ken Corban; sister-in-law, Pauline Greer Corban; seven grandchildren, Courtney Spring Carlton and husband, Ben, Sarah Spring Utterback and husband, Paul, Peyton Spring, Jordan Spring Harding and husband, Will, Tristan Spring, Gage Spring and Kylee McKell Spring; and one great-grandson, Paul Neal Utterback Jr.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Buddy’s name to the Madison First Baptist Church Building Fund.