John McBride

(From Thornhill-Dillon Mortuary)

John Leslie McBride, age 79, of Joplin, went home to be with Jesus on March 26, 2023.

John Leslie McBride was born on March 8, 1944, in Chicago, IL to the late Dwight Nelson McBride and Margaret Ellen (DeLamater) McBride.

As a young child, John moved with his family to Arizona where his father attended Arizona Bible College. He attended Stronghurst Elementary and was a graduate of Callup High School with the class of 1962. 

He then attended John Brown University, Siloam Springs, AR., where he majored in music and also worked at the college radio station. While there he met Sherri Wing. They were united in marriage on July 24, 1966 in La Junta, (“the joining place”) Colorado. 

He was also a graduate of the Child Evangelism Fellowship Leadership Institute course in Warrenton, MO and was the area director in Northwest Arkansas, Oklahoma City and Northern Colorado. He served as the Christian Education Director at Crosslands Navajo Church in Thoreau, NM and started the first AWANA program for Native American children. 

John also worked for the Christian radio station, KICY, in Nome, AK. He later continued in Christian radio for 20 years in Springfield, IL at the WLUJ (We’re Lifting Up Jesus) and KMDY as the station manager and later as the Network Director. He was a valued member of the Joplin amateur radio club and an energetic participant in Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES). He pursued continuing online education to become an official weather spotter (not chaser) with Skywarn and with the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network, known as SATERN. His hobbies also included computers and fishing, and he was a St. Louis Blues fan. He enjoyed traveling by car and airplane and visited 38 states as well as Canada, Mexico, France, Sicily and Germany.

John is survived by his wife of 56 years, Sherri McBride, of Joplin, MO; daughters, Kimberly Dye, and husband, Richard, of Krickenbach, Germany, and Kathryn Hackney, and husband, Justin, of Neosho, MO; a son, Jonathan McBride, and wife, Joanna, of Lynnwood, WA; seven grandchildren; one brother; sisters; nieces and nephews; and grand nephews. In addition to his parents, John was preceded in death by his parents, a sister and a brother.

Memorial services will be held on Friday, March 31, 2023 at 12:00 PM at Thornhill-Dillon Mortuary in Joplin with inurnment to immediately follow at Osborne Memorial Cemetery in Joplin. The family will receive friends for a time of visitation beginning at 11:00 AM until service time on Friday at the mortuary.

Memorial contributions may be made to Spring River Christian Village and may be entrusted to the mortuary.

Arrangements are under the personal care and direction of Thornhill-Dillon Mortuary, Joplin.