Roll Call Tribute

John Lamar Harper 

October 18, 1950 - November 28, 2023 

John Harper passed away peacefully on Nov 28, 2023, after bravely battling lung cancer for more than a decade. John was born in 1950 to parents Helen and John Harper and older sister Patricia in Lubbock, Texas. John excelled in academics, graduating Cum Laude from Texas A&M University in Finance. At A&M, he met and married his love, Suzanne. Moving from Dallas to NYC, John worked for IVY HILL, a subsidiary of Time Warner, before returning to Dallas in the early 2000s, concluding his career at Hudson Advisors.

As a young boy John was always climbing on things. He loved going to his grandparents lumber yard where he would climb up the tall stacks of lumber in the yard. At home he would build wooden structures where he and his sister Pat would play pirates. Or he would just jump from one piece of furniture to the next. John was always busy doing something.

John also had a love for cars. As early as 4 years old he would sit in his parents or grandparents cars pretending to drive. John grew up loving cars and by the time he went off to college he bought himself a 1969 Ford Shelby 350 GT.

John found joy in his love for family, his cars, his family trips to Europe, and in his beloved dogs. He always claimed he didn't want to rescue another one, but somehow they ended up on his bed and spoiled for life. There’s a lot of those pups that greeted him in heaven.

A devoted family man, John prioritized his loved ones. His kindness and ability to make people feel valued were extraordinary. Even during chemotherapy, he maintained a positive outlook. He said, “I am so lucky that someone invented this!” Given 18 months to live, John’s remarkable attitude saw him through for more than 10 years. Even through all of this, his love for family, cars, and dogs—persisted to the end.

John is survived by his wife Suzanne, children Tara and Brad, sister Patricia, and nieces Bonnie and Rachael, the family expresses gratitude for the overwhelming support. The celebration of life is on Thursday, December 14th, 2 pm at Sparkman Hillcrest Funeral Home, Dallas, TX. 75225.

In leu of flowers, the family requests any donations to be made to the North Texas Food Bank and/or to Rahr to the Rescue (dog rescue organization).