John Mark Adams Jr.

John Mark Adams, Jr. 93, of Ashland, KY, passed away on July 25, 2020, at Thomson Hood Veterans Center in Wilmore, KY.
His mother, Mary Louise Adams, and his father, John Mark Adams Sr., welcomed him into the world on June 13, 1927 on his grandfather’s Knob Lick Road farm on the outskirts of Stanford, KY.
After graduation from Stanford High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served during the last years of World War II. He was coxswain on the destroyer escort U.S.S. Wilhoite in the Pacific Ocean Theater.
He graduated from Centre College where he was a standout athlete in football and track. He also was listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. After graduation, he earned the Certified Public Accountant license, and continued working in that profession until he was 85.
In 1958, he and his wife Joan moved from Louisville to Ashland where he joined an accounting firm. A few years later, he started his own firm. He and Joan attended First Presbyterian Church where he served first as a deacon and later as an elder. Joan sang in the choir. When she became ill from a chronic disease, he helped care for her for many years.
His civic and volunteer contributions include service as a board member for Community Hospice, Buckhorn Children’s Home for at-risk children, and Second National Bank. For many years, he served as treasurer for the Ramey Home orphanage, now Ramey Estep Homes. He served on the Ashland Independent School District Board. For more than 50 years, he attended First Presbyterian Church.
He enjoyed seeing his four grandchildren grow up and liked to take fishing vacations to McGregor Bay, an archipelago of islands of Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada. In later years, he was less interested in fishing and preferred to simply take in the beautiful scenery and peacefulness of the area.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Joan Ray Adams, his sister Margaret (Peggy) Adams, and his brother Jim Woods Adams, Sr. He is survived by his sister Kathryn Tomko (Tim) of Fairfield, CA; daughters Nancy Adams, Berea, KY; Mary Thompson (Charles), Versailles, KY; and son Joseph Mark Adams, Ashland, KY. His grandchildren are Kathryn Adams Cornett (Austin) of Georgetown, KY; Amy Carpenter (David) of Frankfort, KY; Mark Adams (Michelle) of Parkville, MO; and Jesse Thompson, Lexington, KY. He has six nephews, two nieces, three great grandchildren and another one due in October.
A private graveside service will take place on Saturday, August 1, 2020 at Golden Oaks Memorial Gardens in Ashland. Chaplain Jimm Smedley will officiate. Video of the service will be available to view on the Steen Funeral Home web page 24 hours after the service.
To leave a condolence for the family please visit www.steenfuneralhome.com
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Community Hospice, 1480 Carter Ave., Ashland, KY 41101; and First Presbyterian Church, 1600 Winchester Ave., Ashland, KY 41101
Social distancing and COVID 19 guidelines remain in effect.

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