John Phillip Ribble

Ribble, John Phillip-71, Knoxville, went home to his Lord on March 1, 2007. He was an active member of the Graystone Presbyterian Church, where he served as Elder and as Minister of Music from 1962-2007. John was born in Walnutport, PA on August 7, 1935, the youngest of five children. The family moved to Philadelphia where John graduated from Germantown High School. He followed his brother Richard to Maryville College and graduated with honors in 1958. While at Maryville College, he met Nancy Stere, and they were married following her graduation in 1959. John served as choral director at Harriman High School 1958-1960, Young High School 1960-1969, and Doyle High School from 1969-1982. In 1987, he accepted a position as visiting lecturer in choral activities at the University of Tennessee. He then served as the choral director at Oak Ridge High School from 1993-2000. He also formed a sixteen-voice professional singing group, The John Ribble Singers, which performed together for over ten years. John was very active in Barbershop quartet music, singing with the Smokyland Chapter of the SPEBSQSA. He was one of the founding members of The Dignitaries, a quartet which gave their first performance at Chilhowee Park in 1958 and have continued as an active performing group for over forty-five years. The ?Digs? won the Dixie District Championship in 1959, were inducted into the Dixie District Hall of Fame in 1994, and were also selected eleven times for international quartet competition. In 1982, John was cast as Stogie McKay on the TNN network sitcom, I-40 Paradise, and appeared in over 400 episodes of the series. He also appeared on In the Heat of the Night, Unsolved Mysteries and many local and regional commercials. John served the Lord in all that he did. His ministry through music touched the lives of countless students, congregations and audiences. John is preceded in death by his parents Harold and Jeanette Ribble; sister, Carol Pendleton; and sister-in-law, Loretta Ribble. He is survived by Nancy Stere Ribble, his loving wife of 47 years; two sons, Scott and Matthew; daughters-in-law Jeanie Ribble and Rachel Acuff Ribble; grandchildren Zachary John Ribble and Jennifer Marie Ribble; brother Rev. Richard B. Ribble and wife Jean-Vivian of Atlanta; twin brothers Bud and Bruce Ribble; brother-in-law Richard Pendleton and wife Dottie of Willow Grove, PA; brother-in-law David Stere and wife Bonnie of Stayton, OR; eleven nieces and nephews. The family will be receiving friends on Saturday, March 3 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Berry Funeral Home. Graveside service will be held on Monday, March 5 at 1:00 p.m. at Sherwood Cemetery, Alcoa. A celebration of the life of John Ribble will be held at Graystone Presbyterian Church on Friday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m. Former students and church choir members are invited to participate in the choir at the Friday evening service. A rehearsal for the choir will be held at 6:00pm at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Graystone Presbyterian Church, 139 Woodlawn Pike, Knoxville, TN 37920. A guestbook and additional information is available at www.berryfuneralhome.com and you invited to share your thoughts and memories of John at his memorial website at www.MeM.com