John A. House

John A. House, 83, of Jonesboro, entered into eternal rest on Tuesday August 9, 2011 at his home.

John was born on October 21, 1927, in Cleveland, Mississippi to the late Nathaniel and Rowena House. John was in the Navy, where he held the rank of Seaman First Class. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Delta State before going on to get his Masters in Divinity from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO. He began pastoring at age 18 and continued until his retirement four years ago. His ministry was associated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. He was recognized by his peers as an excellent Bible scholar who was often invited to write study devotions, including a series of Sunday school lessons.

Other than the church, his greatest joy was his wife and children. He loved taking them fishing and spending time tramping through the woods. In later years, he had time to display his expertise at pool.


In addition to his parents Nathaniel and Rowena House, he was preceded in death by two brothers and two sisters.

Survivors include his wife Dolores of the home; one son, Dr. John House of Jonesboro; two daughters, Terry Lilley and husband Daniel of Albuquerque, N.M., and Susan Duffel of West Fork, AR; four grandchildren, Jennifer Wilkerson and husband Chris, Brock Duffel and wife Lacie, Rachel Crawford and husband Jason, and Ian Smith; and six great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be 10-12pm on Saturday at Emerson Funeral Home. Burial will be private.