Dr. Andrew Cooper John, MD, JD, W8OU/SK, passed away peacefully at his home in Edmond, Oklahoma on July 18, 2021. He was 70 years old.
Andrew was born on April 29, 1951 in Winter Haven, Florida to Mr. Joe John and Mrs. Betty Stuller (McCutcheon). He received his Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Georgia Tech University in 1973, and his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1977. As a physician, he served in several roles, including as an emergency room doctor, as the director of an emergency physicians’ practice, as a forensic examiner and expert witness, and as a physician in the federal prison system.
A true polymath and life-long learner, he earned a Juris Doctorate Summa Cum Laude from Oklahoma City University in 1997 while maintaining his full-time medical practice. Upon his retirement in 2016, he attended Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. He was an active member of several congregations, including St Mary’s Episcopal Church and Saint Elijah Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, both in Edmond, Oklahoma. His faith was central to his life and he strove to serve Christ in all he did. He was also a true student of the history of the Church. Indeed, at the moment of his passing, he was reading from a book of historical figures of the Church in Byzantium.
Andrew contributed to his faith communities not only through liturgy and fellowship, but also through music. He was a skilled organist who began playing in childhood and showed such talent that he was able to support himself through college by playing for Sunday services in Atlanta. He also studied in the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester during his medical training. In addition to accompanying services for congregations throughout the Oklahoma City metro area, Andrew played numerous recitals, including many on a custom-built organ inside his home in Forest Park, Oklahoma. Those who saw and heard him play know that he truly “pulled out all the stops” to bring joy to others through his music.
Under callsigns AD5FX and W8OU, he was an avid amateur radio operator who studied tirelessly to earn every certification available to him. He served in various capacities for the Edmond Amateur Radio Society (EARS), including as President, class instructor, and volunteer examiner. He made QSOs and friends around the world and was a patient mentor to novice hams.
He is survived by his devoted wife of thirty years, Peggy John (Tibessart), brothers Joel John, of Clearwater, Florida and Timothy John, of Tallahassee, Florida; sons Andrew (Christi) John of Edmond, Oklahoma, Daniel John of Hollywood, Florida, Todd Meyer of Edmond, Oklahoma, and John (Barbara) Meyer of Monticello, Florida; daughter Wendy Meyer of Holdenville, Oklahoma; and grandchildren Cole Meyer and Isabelle John. He loved to be with family and was a doting father and grandfather.
Memorial services will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, July 31, at St Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, located at 127 NW 7th St in Oklahoma City, OK. In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to St Mary’s Episcopal Church or the Free to Live Animal Sanctuary, both in Edmond, Oklahoma. Notes of condolence can be sent to Andrew B. John at abjohnuf@gmail.com or to 2017 Del Simmons Dr., Edmond OK 73003.