McRae, John E.

John E. McRae

March 11, 1947 – January 7, 2023

John E. McRae passed away suddenly on Saturday, January 7, 2023, at the age of 75 in a no-fault single car accident on the Ohio Turnpike south of Cleveland. He was returning home from a trip to New Jersey.

John was born in Lumber City, Georgia on March 11, 1947, and lived in his home state of Georgia until his teens, when he moved to Newark, New Jersey. After high school graduation, John joined the US Marine Corps. He was deployed to Vietnam, where he was one of the few to survive The Hill Fights, the first battle at Khe Sanh.

Upon returning home from the military, John looked for a job, enrolled in college, met and eventually married his wife Joy. It was a soul connection.

John and Joy enjoyed 52 years of hard work and fun, with adventures together to the mountains of Jamaica. the coast of southern California, the deserts of New Mexico and the fall foliage of New York State.

In his young adult life, John built a successful career driving charter bus tours to hundreds of sites in the U.S. and Canada. His competent professional driving skills and his courteous charm and lively sense of humor won the hearts of passengers, young and old. He had a special place in his heart for his senior citizen passengers and went out of his way to handle everything needed for a safe, memorable trip.

John is survived by his wife Joy, his sibling James Black (Zobra), his daughter Mashanda Winfrey (Sharon Bivens), his grandchildren Genavee Winfrey (Nathaniel Barnes III) and Jae Atunbi-Winfrey, his great-grandchildren Zaire and Cairo Barnes and many dear relatives and friends in Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio and Jamaica.