John Buford
Summers
93, Columbia
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 13, 2025, at Kokomo Chapel for John Buford Summers, 93, of Columbia, who passed away on Tuesday, April 8, in Magee. Burial followed in Woodlawn Cemetery. Rev. Ronnie Morgan officiated at the services. Visitation was held from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, at Hathorn Funeral Home and from 1 p.m. until the time of the services on Sunday, April 13, at Kokomo Chapel.
He was a proud veteran of the U.S. Navy. A dedicated patriot, he bravely served his country for four years during the Korean Conflict as a radar man aboard the USS Bairoko, a destroyer battleship. Following his honorable military service, he embarked on a successful career with Cal-Main Foods, rising to the position of vice president. Upon retirement, he pursued his entrepreneurial spirit, establishing a small engine business in Magee and a salvage yard in Braxton. Deeply committed to his fellow veterans, he was instrumental in the creation of the Veterans Monument in Columbia and was a lifetime member of the American Legion Simpson County Chapter. He was also known for his generosity and support of local ministries, including the First United Methodist Church in Foxworth and the Kokomo Chapel. He cherished the camaraderie of his time in the Navy, regularly organizing and attending reunions with his shipmates from the USS Bairoko, and found enjoyment on the golf course.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara Robertson Summers; daughter, Deborah Templeton; and parents, Herbert and Georgia Stewart Summers.
Survivors include his wife, Nell Lawless Summers of Columbia; son, Mike Summers (Pam) of Brandon; two daughters, Kim Teasley (Mike) of Braxton and Ramona Seibert (Bob) of Byram; one brother, Clinton Summers of Florence; two sisters, Betty Walley of Kokomo and Sarah Allen of Brandon; four grandchildren, Nicole Patterson (Shey), Blake Nelson (Courtney), John Templeton and Leigh Ann Bradshaw (Justin); and four great-grandchildren, Ava Katherine Patterson, Sarah Grace Patterson, Grey Patterson and Maely Nelson.
Pallbearers were Blake Nelson, Shey Patterson, Mike Teasley, Chad Walley and William Walley.
Friends may sign an online guest register book at www.hathornfuneralhome.com. Hathorn Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
