Johnny Woodrow Harper

November 5, 1940 - March 6, 2017

Johnny Harper, 76, passed away March 6, 2017. At Mr. Harper’s request, his remains were cremated. A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, March 25, 2017, at Talladega Funeral Home, in Talladega. Mr. Harper wrote his own obituary several years earlier. He wrote: I was born on November 5, 1940, on the family dairy farm in McCalla, AL. I was predeceased by my father, Woodrow Harper, on December 21, 1940, my stepfather, Wilburn Calloway, my mother, Thelma (Horton, Harper) Calloway, on December 20, 2010, just 4 weeks from her 92nd birthday, and my wife of 14 years, Charlotte. I am survived by my wife Brenda Harper, a sister, Barbara (Harper) Whitman, of Pelham, two sons Richard and Chad Harper, and one daughter, Angelia (Harper) Young. Brenda Newton Harper, my present wife, has been a loving, devoted wife and stood by me, taking care of me and never left my side. I spent my first 18 years in Jonesboro, AL. and graduated from Bessemer High School in 1958. After 3 years in the US Army, I returned to Bessemer in 1962 with a wife and a new son. For the next 14 years, I was employed in Birmingham as our family increased. In 1977, I took a new job in California and moved to Fremont, in the San Francisco Bay Area. In January 1978, I was transferred to Portland, OR. In 1987, I returned to AL and took up residence in the small town of Lincoln where I remained until my death. Talladega Funeral Home will be directing the services.