John Merchant's Obituary
John Samuel Merchant, 68, of Leesburg, FL, entered eternal rest on January 24, 2025. John was born on June 6, 1956, in Oakdale, LA to his loving parents; John and Leona (King) Merchant.
John met the love of his life, Jan, in 1975 and they married in 1976. John was of the Baptist faith and a dedicated member of First Baptist Church of Leesburg since 1993.
John worked for 21 years as a Supervisory Construction Representative for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in the U.S. Department of Justice. His dream, however, was to own and operate an 18-wheeler. He fulfilled this dream when he retired from the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 2007, and made deliveries for plant nurseries for about 10 years.
John loved sports, he played tennis, racketball and baseball and enjoyed watching football. Johnny especially loved his beautiful family and was a true man of faith, always believing and trusting God. He commonly recited the quote: “God is good all the time, all the time God is good.” Johnny's smile, laughter, and gentle touch gave so much warmth and comfort to those around him. His kind hearted and soft spoken nature was a gift. Johnny’s sense of humor was special and he will be remembered fondly for the many dad jokes he told.
If you asked Johnny how he was doing, his answer was always “wonderful”, he was truly a blessed, kind, loving and compassionate man and will be missed dearly by many.
Johnny is preceded in death by his parents; John Fletcher Merchant and Leona King Merchant and a sister, Donna Lynn Stapleton.
Those left to mourn his loss and cherish his memory include his wife of 48 ½ years, Janice D. Merchant, one son; Travis Merchant of Terre Haute, IN, two daughters; Allison Rogers and her husband, Ben of Leesburg, fL, and Stacie Fernandez and her husband, Freddie of Tampa, FL. One brother, Gerald Merchant and his wife, Karen of Lake Charles, LA. His grandchildren: Brooklyn , Londyn and Lincoln Merchant, Savannah and Blake Rogers, and Leo, Arlo, Mateo, Freddie III and Elijah Fernandez as well as several loving nieces and nephews.
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