Obituary

John Norman Gallaspy

November 8, 1932 - March 21, 2026

John Norman Gallaspy of Bogalusa, Louisiana, passed away peacefully at Our Lady of Angels hospital on March 21, 2026. John was born on November 8, 1932, to the union of Francis Norman Gallaspy and Hazel Weeks Gallaspy. At the age of three, John’s mother died of postoperative complications. His father remarried Mary Leigh Marshall of Stonewall, and this union would give John a wonderful, loving mother and later, two beautiful sisters, Kathleen and Virginia. John enjoyed a happy childhood in rural DeSoto Parish but endured the hardships of the Great Depression and the fear and uncertainty of World War II.

The family farm provided John the opportunity to pursue his passion of growing watermelons. With the assistance of his father, John planted his first watermelon patch at the age of 10 in 1943. Given the war, commercial fertilizer and fuel were scarce, but John made do with barnyard fertilizer and the family horse. His first patch produced several varieties of melons, including the Keckley Sweet and the Dixie Queen, one so large that he was unable as a young boy to carry it out of the patch.  

At the age of 15, John graduated from Pelican High School and enrolled at LSU as one of the youngest students on campus. He majored in history with a minor in English, was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, and was active in the Corps of Cadets, serving as the company commander his senior year. On graduating, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Field Artillery.  

After additional training, John was deployed to Korea in the fall of 1952, serving as a forward observer for the 39th Field Artillery Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment of the Third Infantry Division. He was involved in intense, often hand-to-hand combat and on one occasion when his position was overrun by enemy forces, John was forced to call in artillery fire on his own position. During another battle, an enemy mortar round impacted right in front of him, lifting John off the ground and leaving him with permanent deafness in one ear. He later participated in the Battle of Outpost Harry, one of the last major engagements of the Korean War. Fighting at night under heavy mortar fire, U.S. and Greek troops defended this strategic position from repeated attacks by the Army of the People’s Republic of China. More than 50 years later, one of John’s fellow officers wrote him a letter of gratitude for his contribution to this battle. John’s comrade explained that he had been severely wounded and as he lost consciousness, the last voice he heard over his radio was that of Lt. Gallaspy, himself under fire, calmly and precisely directing artillery fire. The officer believed John’s accurate, unrelenting fire support not only saved his life and many others, but also played a significant role in the U.S. and Greek forces retaining control of this critical outpost. For his service in the battle, John was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor in Combat.

After the war ended, John was accepted into LSU Law School, where he served as student body president and was inducted into the Law School’s Hall of Fame. As graduation neared and he began interviewing for jobs, a friend set him up on a blind date with Dixie Nell Yates. They fell in love and were married in June of 1958.  They remained married for almost 60 years until Dixie’s death in 2016.

John and Dixie initially resided in Lake Charles, but the happy couple soon moved to Bogalusa, where they raised their three sons, Whit, Gardner and Lee. John became the Chief Prosecutor for Washington Parish under District Attorney W.W. “Squinch” Erwin, Bogalusa City Attorney under Mayor C.P. Verger, and City Attorney for the village of Sun under Mayor LuLu Mizell.  Proud to be a “small town lawyer,” John’s civil practice included a wide range of legal services, including litigation, real estate, successions and wills. He and his longtime law partner, Mickey Paduda, and their staff, Rachel Pierce, Freddie Tourne and Anita Lavinghouse, became a cornerstone of the legal community while developing lifelong friendships with each other and their clients. One long time client was so appreciative of John’s assistance over their many years that he took the unusual step of publicly expressing his gratitude in a local newspaper, writing in a letter to the editor that John was “an ever-ready presence” in their lives and a “true gentleman and family man and great lawyer.” After practicing law for almost 60 years, John retired in 2016.

As much as John enjoyed practicing law, it was often correctly said that he would rather be known as a champion watermelon grower. It was not uncommon to see John donning a lightweight, seersucker suit as he practiced law during the day and transitioning to well-worn dungarees in the evening as he tended to his beloved watermelon patches. His melons won grand champion awards at the state watermelon festival in Farmerville and were sold for many years at Travis’ Supermarket in Bogalusa. But his focus was never on competitions or making money – he most enjoyed the time outdoors, spending time with fellow farmers like Mickey Murphy, and giving away the vast majority of his crop to friends and family. In a letter to a friend just last year, John cited a favorite author, Mark Twain, when he said: “When one has tasted it, he knows what the angels eat. It was not a Southern watermelon that Eve took; we know it because she repented.”

John was an active contributor to the community and garnered numerous honors over the years, including Citizen of the Year and serving as Grand Marshall of the 2023 Washington Parish Watermelon Festival parade and the 2026 Krewe of MCCA parade. He was an active member of Elizabeth Sullivan Memorial United Methodist Church, Mill Town Players, Rotary Club, the American Legion, and the honorary 40 and 8. Another of John’s passions was John Deere tractors. During the aforementioned parades, he was much more satisfied driving on one of his tractors, towing one of the floats, than taking part in other aspects of the festivities.

In 2014, as part of the City of Bogalusa’s 100th anniversary, he wrote an extensive, 300-page history of the city entitled, “Bogalusa, the City that Refused to Die.” In his eloquent manner, John said at the time: “As we all know, we have a rather unique history. The industrial aspects of it have been documented a good bit. Our sawmill has made history all over the world. I wanted to do something that would give readers a glimpse into the personality of the community.”

John was an avid reader and relished giving other booklovers a tour of his impressive library on Gaylord Drive in Bogalusa. If a visitor saw a title that piqued interest, it was theirs to take home to enjoy. Christmas Eve at the Gallaspy home found John in front of the fireplace reading Dicken tales to family and friends, conveying the joy of the season captured in “Mr. Wardle’s Christmas Party” and the wages of Gabriel Grub’s cold heart in “The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton.” He appreciated old movies as well, particularly those featuring W.C. Fields, and he became a devotee of Turner Classic and other vintage movie channels in his later years.

After Dixie’s death in 2016, John met and married Martha Moak. They enjoyed their golden years by visiting friends, taking trips to Mobile, attending Sun Methodist Church, and spending time with family.  

John was predeceased by his wife of almost 60 years, Dixie Yates Gallaspy; his parents, Francis Norman Gallaspy, Hazel Weeks Gallaspy, and Mary Leigh Gallaspy; his younger brother, Jerry Weeks Gallaspy; and his cousin and close friend, Mary Rives Gallaspy.

John is survived by three sons, John Whithurst Gallaspy (Stacy), Gardner Weeks Gallaspy (Lori), and Leland Redding Gallaspy (Tonya); eight grandchildren, Caitlyn, Connor, Marianna and Molly Gallaspy (Whit); Will and Emily Gallaspy (Gard); and Caroline and Grant Gallaspy (Lee); and his two sisters, Kathleen Myers and Virginia Garlington.

The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the staff at Our Lady of Angels Hospital, St. Tammany Parish Hospital, Our Lady of the Lake Hospital and the sitters and loved ones who provided invaluable assistance and care during John’s final weeks.

The final services will be held at Superior Avenue Baptist Church on North Columbia Street in Bogalusa. The funeral will be on Thursday, March 26th, from 11:00 to noon.  Visitation will be on Wednesday, March 25th, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and again on Thursday, March 26th, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.  Graveside services will be handled in the Pelican Cemetery in Pelican, Louisiana, on Friday, March 27th, at 10:30 a.m. Pallbearers are Michael “Micky” Murphy, Walter S. “Buddy” Adams, Judge Donald M. Fendlason, Henry Harrison, John Connor Gallaspy, Grantlin Yates Gallaspy, and John Wilson Gallaspy.  

To honor John’s memory, the family requests donations to Sun Methodist Church, Superior Avenue Baptist Church, Holly Grove Methodist Church, or 40 and 8 Nursing Scholarships.