Obituary of John A. Gallimore Jr.

John Arthur Gallimore, Jr. was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 7, 1929. He was the son of Gladys Marie Cox and John Arthur Gallimore, Sr. John attended Meyers Park Elementary School, Alexander Graham Junior High School, and Charlotte Central High School. He graduated from Central in 1947. In his youth he was a Boy Scout, carried the Charlotte Observer Newspaper, learned to fly, and developed a love for mechanics and electronics. John joined the North Carolina Air National Guard and served in the newly formed U.S. Air Force during the Korean War as a radio technician for fighter aircraft. After his service he worked for Thomas A. Edison, Inc. in Charlotte repairing Voice writer dictation machines. During this time, John attended and graduated from the Carolina School of Broadcasting and the National Radio Institute. In 1960 he became a broadcast engineer at WBTW, Channel 13 in Florence, South Carolina working for Jefferson Pilot Broadcasting. In 1967 he transferred to WBTV Channel 3 in Charlotte continuing his career as an engineer. Shortly after this transfer John was selected to join the newly formed Jefferson Pilot Data Services as a COBOL programmer. He retired as a Senior Systems Analyst in 1992 and was employed by Jefferson Pilot for 32 years. John was a lifelong member of the Freemasonry receiving the honorary 33 degree and membership in the Scottish Rite and the Royal Order of Scottland. He was a member of Phalanx Lodge #31 A.F. & A.M., the Charlotte Scottish Rite, and the Charlotte York Rite masonic organizations. Over the years John’s interests included precision rifle shooting, mechanics, electronics, astronomy, photography, biblical research, and hiking the local mountains. John was married to Sylvia Bost Coulter of Conover, North Carolina in 1956. They were members of Saint Lukes Lutheran Church of Charlotte, Saint Lukes Lutheran Church of Florence, Incarnation Lutheran Church of Charlotte, Park Road Moravian Church of Charlotte, and Peace Moravian Church of Charlotte. John is survived by wife Sylvia; sons William Paul Gallimore of Matthews, North Carolina, and David Mark Gallimore (Lisa) of Kannapolis, North Carolina; and grandsons Daniel Paul Gallimore (Lauren) of Bloomington, Indiana and William Andrew Gallimore of Matthews, North Carolina. Calling hours will be from 12pm to 1pm, Monday, July 10, 2023, at Hankins and Whittington Funeral Service, 1111 East Blvd., Charlotte, NC, 28203 with services following at 1pm in the Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow in Sharon Memorial Park, Charlotte, NC. Online condolences may be made at www.HankinsandWhittington.com.