John Clifton Kasper

   John Clifton Kasper, 84, passed away peacefully in the evening hours of Saturday, April 13, 2024, at the Mississippi State Veterans Home in Kosciusko, Mississippi.

    John was born on June 3, 1939, to the late Frank and Alice (Hendershott) Kasper in Shepherd, Michigan.  He was the first-born of six children.  After graduating from Shepherd High School in 1957, he enlisted in the United States Navy.  Upon bootcamp completion, he was stationed at the Naval Air Station in Millington, Tennessee.  There he met and later married the late Mary Janice Harpole of Aubrey, Arkansas. 

     The couple became a family of nine as they followed his career throughout the United States and several U.S. Navy deployments.  They settled in Meridian, Mississippi, where, after thirty years of active duty, he served as the Command Master Chief for the Naval Air Station for his final tour.  He retired from the Navy and became a contractor teaching “A” school to new recruits at NAS Meridian.  He retired fully from service in 2015.

     John loved working on his cattle farm, fishing, and bird hunting.  While stationed in Beeville, Texas, he was co-owner of a shrimp boat and spent weekends fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.  John loved his family and would do anything to ensure their well-being.  He was an active member of Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church of Meridian and the Knights of Columbus.   

     John is preceded in death by his second-born son, Jon Dwight (Ike) Kasper and his granddaughter, Anna Kathryn Culpepper.   

     He is survived by his siblings, Portia, Mary, Jim, Delores, and Joe; his sons Alan (Peggy), Glenn (Vicki), Mark, Chris, and Shawn (Cindy); his daughter, Sheri (Scott Culpepper); along with numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.   

     Graveside services will be held at the Mississippi VA Memorial Cemetery in Newton, Mississippi at 12:00 PM on Monday April 22, 2024.  The funeral procession will leave from Webb & Stephens Funeral Home-North located at 7774 Highway 39 North at 11:00 AM.