Dr. John Rigdon Ware

Dr. John R. Ware, 78, of Hogansville, GA, passed away peacefully with loved ones by his side on May 27th, 2026, in Newnan, Georgia after an 8 year journey with Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia.

The son of the late Gwynneth Woodhouse Ware and Crawford Ware, John was the beloved husband of Mary Margaret and devoted father to John R. Ware, II (Lori Martin, Fiancée) of Marietta, GA, Libby Ware Wunderlich of Memphis, TN, and Emily Ware (Dan Atkinson, Spouse) of Boston, MA. He was also a cherished grandfather to his only grandchild, Bonnie Ware Wunderlich, who lovingly called him “Poppy”. John is survived by his youngest brother David Anthony Mims Ware and his husband Brad O’Hara of Vancouver, BC and is preceded in death by his brother Peter Woodhouse Ware of Carrollton, GA and sister Suzanna Ware O’Donnell of Cambridge, MA.

Raised in Hogansville, Ga, John graduated from Georgia Military Academy and went on to major in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech. Upon graduating he spent time in the Georgia National Guard Engineering Division before redirecting his life toward medicine. John worked full time at Grady Hospital in the blood gas lab while completing his pre-med courses at Georgia State. He graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in 1977. He was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and remained a supporting member until his retirement. After completing his Internal Medicine residency at the Medical College of Georgia, he was recruited to be on faculty. Upon becoming board certified in Internal Medicine, he knew he wanted to practice medicine in a rural town in Georgia. In 1981, he opened his medical office in Carrollton, Georgia where he was an internist for 6 years.

Working closely with the radiologists at Tanner Medical Center, he became very interested in all the new technological advances in radiology (CT and MRI). He decided to do a four-year residency in Radiology at the University of Tennessee Medical School in Memphis. After becoming a board certified radiologist, he was recruited by the UT Medical Group to work at several hospitals in Memphis. He became board certified in Nuclear Medicine and in Nuclear Cardiology multiple times. The VA Hospital of Memphis recruited him to be the Chief of Nuclear Medicine, and eventually he became their Chief of Radiology. Aside from his family and being a physician, John found joy in taking photos, reading, riding his bike and building model airplanes. Later in life he added motorcycles to his bike collection and learned how to fly real airplanes. His favorite adventure, however, was to travel the country camping in an Airstream trailer with his wife, navigator and best friend: Mary Margaret. They were married on June 9th, 1970 and would have been married 56 years next month. John will be remembered for his quiet and steady devotion to God, humbleness, hard work ethic, passion for learning, his laugh and the unwavering love and support he gave his family. This Saturday, May 30th, 2026, visitation will be held at 1:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, 416 East Main Street, Hogansville, followed by a funeral service at 2:00 p.m. in the Church Sanctuary. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in memory of John Ware to Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, P. O. Box 176, Hogansville, GA 30230.

Condolence may be expressed at www.mckibbenfuneralhome.com

Claude A. McKibben and Sons Funeral Home of Hogansville is in charge of arrangements.