John Calvin Spivey, Jr., Lt.Col, Usarmy, Ret.

John Calvin Spivey, Jr. Lt Col, US Army, Ret.
John Spivey’s death on 24 March 2018 was announced by his sister, Maxine Tippett of Carthage, North Carolina. The cause was brain cancer. John was born in rural White Hill, Moore County, North Carolina. He joined the Army when he was 17 years old and left the service after 23 years as a Lieutenant colonel.
His first assignment took him to Korea in support of Marines for the invasion of Inchon Korea in mid-September 1950. As an enlisted non-com he participated in the nuclear testing at Yucca Flats, Nevada.
John graduated from Officers’ Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia in September 1955 and from the Command and General Staff College in 1969-1970. He was assigned to the Security Agency Materials Support Command at Arlington, Hall. Along the way his assignments included, in addition to Korea as an NCO, NATO, Vietnam, Indochina, Germany, and Turkey.
He retired from the service in 1972. During his retirement years he obtained a pilot’s license, traveled to over 195 countries including the Arctic and Antarctic. He was a member of the Army-Navy Country Club; a volunteer with Meals on Wheels and did escort duty as a member of the Auxiliary at the Virginia Hospital Center. He participated in the Army’s program to assist new retires. His great sport was tennis. As an amateur he had a vast collection of trophies which the family plans to install in a “John Calvin Madison Spivey Memorial” on Spivey Road in Carthage.
He leaves behind in addition to his sister, Maxine, his brother Lendon; his good friend Ruth Kolozy and many beloved nieces, nephews, most of Carthage as well as friends in the Northern Virginia area.
As is his want, John will be at rest at Putnam Friends Church, 136 Putnam Church Road, Carthage, North Carolina.