John Bain Harkey Jr., 78, a resident of Nashville, Tennessee since 1972, died unexpectedly on January 19, 2024. He was born May 8, 1945 in Roxboro, NC to the late Edna and John Harkey, Sr. He is survived by his son Wil Harkey and his wife, Papri, of Fairfield, CT, daughter Kate Kenney, and her husband, Chris, of Norwood, MA, his brother Bill Harkey and his wife, Maureen May, his sister Rosanne Lovely and her husband, Charlie, and his grandchildren Weston, Benny, Emerson, Ellie, and Morgan and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife of 54 years, Kathleen, this past June. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, and granddad, and he will be greatly missed by his family and many friends.
John was raised in Charlottesville, VA and Walterboro, SC. He earned a coveted nomination to attend the Air Force Academy and graduated in 1967. He had many lifelong friends through his AFA squadron, which he kept in touch with weekly through the present. After college, he met his lifelong love, Kathleen, and they married in December 1968. Two months later, he left to serve in special ops in Vietnam and Korea for two years and during that time Kathleen and he wrote daily letters to each other.
Upon returning home and finishing his service, John and Kathleen moved to Nashville to pursue graduate school at Vanderbilt University, earning a Ph.D. in Sociology, and ended up putting down roots. John’s true passion was writing, and once Wil and Kate arrived, he published an environmental magazine, The Cumberland Journal, and started his company Harkey and Associates, which covered managed healthcare in the Southeast.
During his 51 years in Nashville, John’s core values of environmentalism and healthy living fostered not only significant change in Nashville’s walkability but also gave him an extensive friend network. He was a board member of Walk/Bike Nashville, earning two lifetime achievement awards over the past several years, and was very active in Greenways for Nashville. John could be seen biking or walking with friends all around town. Both he and Kathleen felt it was important to live lives of purpose aligned with their values, and it showed clearly to everyone who knew them.
Since retiring more than fifteen years ago, John had been an active father and granddad, and a loving and devoted caregiver, especially during Kathleen’s multiyear illness. He had an active social life and was known for his meaningful conversation, his great sense of humor, and his fierce loyalty to his family and ideals. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Walk/Bike Nashville (www.walkbikenashville.org) and enjoy a plant-based meal or two. A memorial service is planned for April 6 at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Nashville. More details to follow.
An online Guestbook may be signed at: www.crawfordservices.com. CRAWFORD FUNERAL HOME, (615) 254-8200
