The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
John M Chumley
BIRMINGHAM - John Morgan Chumley, aged 83, passed away on August 11, 2024, in Birmingham, Alabama. Born on November 22, 1940, in Louisville, Kentucky John led a life marked by a spirit of adventure, generosity and creativity.
John graduated from Eastern High School and later attended Western Kentucky University. He served 6 years in the Army Ready Reserve where his dedication and leadership were recognized by his peers and superiors. He was honorably discharged in January of 1972 with the rank of Sergeant. John was a spiritual man who was a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Anchorage, KY early in life and later attended services at Worship on the Water in Pensacola, FL.
John’s early career was framed by his roles in human resources for C&I Girdler, Humana and St. Joseph’s Hospital. After leaving the corporate world, he spent many years in the custom, residential home building space with J. D. Cooper Builders where his people skills and attention to detail thrived. John moved to Andalusia, Alabama in the early 1990’s and worked as Manager of the Covington County Chapter of the American Red Cross. John served in this role and coordinated the county’s emergency and recovery efforts following Hurricane Opal in October of 1995. John served Covington County in this position until the fall of 1999.
In retirement, John felt the call of the ocean and moved to Navarre, Florida where he continued his commitment to service and began volunteering at NAS Pensacola where he could be found on the flight line narrating the Blue Angels practices as a Blue Angels flight line volunteer with his friend Mack or serving in the National Naval Aviation Museum in the security department. During his time at NAS Pensacola he logged over 5,000 hours of volunteer service and became the head of the Security Division for the museum.
After moving to Birmingham in 2016, John became a volunteer at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens as Garden Greeter. He spent countless hours at the Gardens meeting fascinating people from all over the world. He most enjoyed sharing stories about the Moon Tree and helping families capture their visit by offering to take their picture so everyone could be included in the photo.
John’s legacy of service and leadership continue to inspire those who knew him. He is survived by his daughters, Elizabeth Edwards (William) and Alison Green; grandchildren Will, Lydia, Merritt, Henry and Teddy; sister, Nancy Cloud Lotspeich (David) along with many loving nieces and nephew. John was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Jack Chumley: his stepfather, Louis Cloud; his mother, Lillian Cloud and his brother, Frank Chumley. A private family service will be held in Pawleys Island, South Carolina later this fall.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that contributions in memory of John be made to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens http://bbgardens.org/donate or the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation https://navalaviationfoundation. org/in-memoriam/ honoring his commitment to community and service.