Jon Carlton “JC” Ewbank, 48

A memorial service for Jon Carlton “JC” Ewbank, 48, a 1993 Gainesville High School graduate, will be held at the Gainesville First Christian Church at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 20, with Pastor Bobby Jo Wade officiating. Burial will be held immediately after the service at the Lutie Cemetery in Theodosia. Following the graveside service, a reception will be held for friends and family at the First Christian Church fellowship hall.

JC died suddenly on Dec. 22, 2022, in Republic, while visiting family for the Christmas holidays. A resident of Memphis, Tennessee, since October 2019, he had spent most of his adult life in Springfield.

JC worked a total of 23 1/2 years for Federal Express, first for FedEx Trade Networks in Springfield, followed by his move to Memphis, where he worked as a release train engineer with FedEx Express at his death.

He was born in the Army Hospital in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, on Oct.  23, 1974.  He graduated from Gainesville High School in 1993; he earned a B.A. from College of the Ozarks in 1998 and an M.B.A. from Walden University in 2010.

A Harry Potter Slytherin, JC was an empathetic listener with a wonderful sense of humor.

He loved his family and his large circle of friends, his dogs, Apollo and Athena, and his duck, Lily. He also loved traveling (especially cruises), watching Hallmark Christmas movies, baking magnificent cheesecakes for family and friends, and bartending as a side-gig.

JC is survived by his father, Jonathan Stephen Ewbank and wife Meredith of Schenectady, New York; sisters Renee Trent and Cherie Funk, both of Rantoul, Illinois; paternal aunt Becki Strong and husband Dude; uncle Carlton Loy Ewbank and wife Vickie; as well as aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents and his mother, Gayetta Lynn Penix Ewbank.  

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to the Matthew Shepard Foundation: https://matthewshepard.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/matthewshepard/donatio....