John Melvin Hudson

John Melvin Hudson, 86, of Lexington, died Friday, Aug. 14, 2015, after an extended battle with cancer. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Chapel of First Reformed United Church of Christ. The family will receive friends in the parlor following the service. Upon John's request, his body was donated to Wake Forest School of Medicine in hopes of improving the lives of others through medical research. An interment service will follow at a later day. John was born April 22, 1929, to Bessie (Tysinger) and Raymond Hudson, youngest of seven children in Davidson County. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Arlan, Clifton and James; and sisters, Hazel and Elizabeth. Surviving are his wife of 57 years, Sarah Josephine (Gargis), of Carolina House; two daughters, Jo Dee Hudson and Jan Hudson Raper and husband Tom Raper; granddaughters Sarah Ann and Meredith Lee Raper; sister Rachael Hudson Peabody of Maryland; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. John was a graduate of Lexington High School Class of 1947. He started his career at the Lexington Dispatch. John served two years in the Army and was assigned to 306 Field Hospital in France. Upon his return, he worked at Greensboro News & Record where he was fondly known as "Rock" and retired at the age of 60, to pursue the finer things in life. John was an avid pilot who enjoyed flying his own airplane. He was a lifelong photographer, loved to work on cars, and was an all around tinkering handyman. He would always take something broken, fix it, and give it to someone to use. He was known for being thrifty. He enjoyed keeping up with his high school classmates and only missed one reunion over the years. He looked forward to visiting family and friends, and traveled to Europe many times. He enjoyed showing all his pictures and telling stories. Later in life, John embraced computers and also focused on genealogy. He was an active member of First Reformed United Church of Christ; a member for 44 years of The American Legion Post No. 8; member of VFW Post 3074; and member of AMVETS Post NC-0013. John frequently attended the annual 306 Field Hospital Army Reunions. He was a member of the City Club. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made: Clifton Watt Hudson Scholarship Fund, Catawba College, Salisbury, NC.