John Read

(From Cheney-Witt Funeral Chapel)

John William Read, age 68, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Monday, March 25, 2024.

John was born March 8, 1956, in Ft. Scott, Kansas, the son of Francis Marion “Cisco” Read and Ruth Louise Groner Read.

John was married May 22, 1976 to his wife Paula Raye Smith at the Catholic church in Fort Scott, Kansas.

He attended elementary school at Saint Mary’s Catholic School, where he made lifelong friends, and graduated from Fort Scott High School in 1974.

He began working as a mechanic at the age of sixteen and was a diesel mechanic for B&D until the flood of 1986. Shortly after, he began working for Kansas Truck Center Freightliner in Wichita, Kansas until his retirement in 2021.

After retirement, he and Paula moved back to Fort Scott to spend more time with their children and grandchildren. In addition to being with his family, he enjoyed fishing, tinkering and fixing things, growing tomatoes, and reading to his great-granddaughter.

He is survived by his wife Paula Read; one son David Charles Read and his wife Jessica of Carl Junction, MO; one daughter Carrie Louise Read Lord and her husband Heath of Uniontown, KS; four grandchildren Isabel Neva Read and Isaiah William Read both of Carl Junction, MO, Krystal Raye Lord of Chanute, KS and McKenna Mae Lord of Uniontown, KS; and one great-granddaughter Bexley Raye Shelton of Chanute, KS. Also surviving are one brother Chuck Read: six sisters: Becky Grounds, Brenda Read, Julie Smith, Carol Read, Joyce Swearingen, and Rose Gauthier; and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 A.M. Friday, March 29th at the Apostolic Christian Church in Ft. Scott. Burial will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 P.M. Thursday at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the John Read Memorial Fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.