John Reese Thurman III, 79, Norris, passed away at home on Wednesday, October 21 ^st , 2020 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Johnny, as he was affectionately called as a child, was born on January 4, 1941 to John and Alice Reese Thurman of Evansville, WI.  An active and fun loving child, he spent his youth outdoors fishing and hunting, and playing basketball, baseball, and football throughout his school days. He graduated from Evansville High School in 1959.

John started his college education at Wisconsin State College-Stevens Point, and after two years, transferred to Iowa State University where he completed his bachelor's degree in forestry in 1964.  He then spent the next two years at Purdue University, earning a master's degree in wildlife ecology.

After graduating from Purdue, John joined the United States Air Force where he served in the Strategic Air Command as a Captain and Titan II ICBM Silo Commander at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ. While in Arizona, he met his wife of 52 years, Kathleen.

In 1970 he accepted a position working for the Tennessee Valley Authority and moved with Kathleen to Norris, TN.  During his tenure with TVA, he worked as a wildlife biologist and as manager of corporate environmental auditing and assessment. After retiring from TVA, John discovered his true passion, aquatic entomology, and spent several years conducting aquatic invertebrate assessments on the Tennessee River watershed, once again working for TVA.

John was passionate about nature and the outdoors. He loved to travel with Kathleen throughout the Western states, and he also loved to take extended hunting and fishing trips with his beloved English Setter bird dogs and various close friends. He also loved sports, and was a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Green Bay Packers fan.

Admired for his intimate knowledge of river ecology and fly fishing, John was generous with his knowledge and experience with anyone who had an interest in learning, especially youth. Over the years he gave his time to mentor Boy Scouts as they earned their fishing and fly fishing merit badges, assisted with the construction of a natural pond system at Norris Elementary, and helped develop the Kids in the Creek program that involved local youth in nature and stream ecology.  Most notably, he was the moving force behind the creation of Trout Unlimited's highly acclaimed Great Smoky Mountain Trout Adventure Camp. For years he oversaw the planning and operation of the camp. In 2014 John was awarded the national Youth Education Leadership Award by Trout Unlimited in recognition of his efforts. Earlier this October the camp was renamed in his honor: The John Thurman Smoky Mountain Trout Adventure Camp.

Humble and selfless, John had a big heart and was always willing to lend a helping hand or a listening ear to anyone in need. He faced his final challenge with grace and courage, and left the world in a better place.  A celebration of life will be held at a future date.

He is survived by his wife Kathleen of Norris; daughter Mary Thurman, son-in-law Robert Schuler, and grandsons Theodore and Charles Schuler of Atlanta, GA; sister Shelley Wold of Little Rock, AR; and cherished extended family and friends.

Donations in John's memory should be made to Trout Unlimited Clinch River Chapter youth scholarship fund in support of The John Thurman Smoky Mountain Trout Adventure Camp. PO Box 745, Norris, TN 37828.