John Phelps Obituary

It is with sadness that we report the passing of John Ault Phelps on September 29, 2025. Born to Annie Milton Phelps and John Ault on October 28, 1946 in Bristol, Virginia, John Ault Phelps grew up in the rural communities of Virginia and North Carolina. After graduating from Murray State University, John served in the US Army until 1971. He had an illustrious career in service of the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services. Beloved by his colleagues, John fostered an atmosphere of kindness and camaraderie centered around the goal of assisting people realize their full potential.

John's life began in earnest when he met Jack Blackburn in 1988. They built a life based on a shared love of the arts and lived amongst a vibrant group of eclectic friends. He was a firm believer in the community found in cooking and sharing food. While he valued quiet moments of solitude sitting on the porch with his feline companions, rare were the days he didn't spend hanging out with the people he loved. Always willing to tilt an ear toward the joys and woes people carry, knowing when to share advice and when to be still and listen, John valued those moments more than any worldly possession. His friends were there with him through the good times and the bad. By his side through professional successes, holding his hand while offering solace when his husband Jack died unexpectedly, and with him for every quiet moment in between the milestones, all that knew him loved John. He now rests peacefully among an exaltation of larks of similar feather, waiting in good company for the rest of us to come home.

He will be truly missed. A gathering to remember John will be announced soon.