John R. Puckett, who was born Dec. 7, 1932 in Duplin County, NC and grew up in Mount Olive, NC., died on May 26, 2023. He was a long-time resident of Dunwoody, Georgia. He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Luna Pearsall Puckett; brothers: Robert F. Puckett, Royal H. Puckett, Billy F. Puckett, and Ralph K. Puckett; and sisters: K. Hilda Lambert, and Gaynelle P. Summerlin. He is survived by his wife Mary Louise (Marilu) Gleick Puckett, children Mark S. Puckett, Karen L. Zeberlein (John), Christopher (Chris) B. Puckett (Maria), and grandchildren Abigail (Abby) G. Zeberlein, Camille (Cami) E. Zeberlein, Jackson (Jack) R. Puckett, and Gianna (Gigi) R. Puckett.

He received B.S. and Masters degrees in engineering from North Carolina State University and an M.B.A. degree from Wake Forest University.

He worked for Western Electric and its successor companies AT&T-Network Systems and Lucent Technologies where he retired as a Program/Project Engineering Manager with over 36 years in the business. He was also a retired Captain, United States Navy with 30 years of service on active and reserve duty, which included tours as the Commanding Officer of two reserve units. He was a Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) in North Carolina, New Jersey and Georgia and was active in several professional organizations, including: Toastmaster International, the Jaycees, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Institute of Industrial Engineers (AIIE), the American Society for Quality Control (ASQC), the Military Engineers (ME), the Naval Reserve Association (NRA), the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI), and the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).

While he was successful in his professional life, his greatest joy was his family. He met his wife Marilu while both were serving on active duty in Norfolk,Va. She was a Navy nurse and their initial blind date turned into a 62-year marriage where they stood by each other through thick and thin. They had three children that he loved unconditionally. He was their biggest cheerleader and set an example of integrity, service and hard work that serves as a guidepost for a life well lived. He was a rock for his entire family and would not hesitate to provide assistance and guidance wherever he could. His grandchildren meant the world to him. He enjoyed pushing them on the tree swing he built in his backyard and taking them on trips to the mall for treats, especially ice cream, as it was his lifelong favorite. But his favorite thing to do was to just sit and listen to them talk about what was going on in their lives, and providing words of sage advice that they will carry with them forever. They were his pride and joy. He was so proud of their every achievement and they are going to sorely miss their Pop-Pop.

A private graveside service will be held at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project (https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org).