John D. Moats

John D. Moats was was born on  April 23, 1947 at St. Joseph Hospital in Garrett Indiana,  He graduated from Garrett High School in 1965 where he lettered both basketball and golf.  John attended Indiana University and graduated in 1969 with a major in Business Marketing, 

In 1970, John enlisted in the Navy and served in theater during the Vietnam Nam War from February 1970 to January 1974.  Part of his Navy service was spent on the USS Parsons, an anti-missile destroyer stationed out of Japan where he was chief communications officer.  John received a Combat Action Commendation and an honorable discharge. Immediately after returning from VietNam, John became the assistant golf pro at Pine Valley Country Club. 

During the 1980s and 1990s, John worked for the IBM Corporation as a sales administrative manager in Raleigh, North Carolina and later served on the corporate auditing staff in both Los Angeles California and Atlanta Georgia.

John returned home to Auburn in 2003 where he looked after his parents, Jack and Ferne Moats, until they passed in 2011 and 2015 respectively. John loved his country.and was extremely patriotic.  He participated in and later managed in his father's WWII USS West Point Naval ship reunions.  John later served as president of this reunion association and hosted the ship reunion in Ft. Wayne in 2005.

John was an avid sports enthusiast and followed anything Indiana University and West Virginia University and the Chicago Bears, Blackhawks and White Sox.

John is survived by one sister Margaret Hall and her husband James Hall and a niece Magan Hall, all residents of Raleigh North Carolina.

John will be interred at 1 p.m. Monday, December 23, 2019 at Christian Union Cemetery - Garrett, IN with military honors by the Garrett American Legion and VFW.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Thomas Funeral Home - Garrett, IN

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