John Eldon Hayter, died July 10, at the age of 96, in Jacksonville IL, where resided and where he taught in the Jacksonville School District 117 for the last 25 years of his career.
Mr. Hayter, was born April 17, 1929, in Benton County, MO to Clay Glenn Hayter and Grace Gregory Hayter. He was preceded in death by his sister Geraldine Waanders, in 2005 and is survived by his sister, Virginia of Macomb, IL and his niece Connie Brockert of Leawood KS, and her children, Jeffrey Brockert, Daniel Brockert and Jacqueline Rollins and grandchildren, Braden Smith, Colin Brockert, Stella and Abilene Brockert and Atchel and Miles Rollins.
Immediately following high school graduation, he spent a few months teaching at the one-room school house, Sunny Side, where he had attended for his first 8 years of schooling. He quickly developed a passion for helping to develop young minds.
He received a degree in music from Central Missouri State in Warrensburg, MO., where he learned to master the Viola, even though he was playing it for the first time.
After graduation, he entered the United States Navy where he eventually became bandmaster of the U.S. Fleet Sonar School Band in Key West, FL.
Upon completion of his naval duties, he accepted a job in Pocahontas AK, where he taught instrumental music to all grades. He loved Arkansas, which he often spoke of as what he thought of as his home town, but moved on from there to travel the world.
He taught music for the United States Air Force in Ankara, Turkey, and Wiesbaden, Germany. That also gave him the opportunity to pursue his passion of traveling throughout Europe.
He eventually settled in Jacksonville, where he was director of Jacksonville High School's orchestra and choirs and an instructor in strings and vocal music. He is a former conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.
While in Jacksonville, he received his master's degree in Musical Theater. Upon retirement, he enjoyed teaching as a substitute in surrounding towns.
For many years, he was director of The Chanters men's chorus at Ansar Shrine Temple in Springfield. He was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, Harmony Lodge A.F. & A.M., Scottish Rite-Valley of Springfield, Ansar Shrine and Rasna Shrine Club.
As a youngster, he began a love of reading, when he would run to get the Saturday Evening Post, as soon as it was delivered and would consume it from cover to cover. His personal library was a testament to his continued love of reading with a collection of books that barely left a path through the room.
He spent a summer as a counselor at Yellowstone National Park, surrounded by nature and horses, which he declared his favorite animal. He also enjoyed boating and water skiing through the years.
Mr. Hayter also loved listening to classical music, cooking gourmet meals for friends, working in his flower garden and traveling while he was still able. He used to enjoy spending winters in south Texas, where he would also explore Mexico. He only stopped those trips when he felt like they would be too hard on his beloved cat, "Miss Kitty."
He loved the home he built in Millwood Manor and his life in Jacksonville. Nothing pleased him more than to see his former students continue on with successful careers, and he loved the letters they would write telling him about how he instilled in them a love of music.
A service will be held on Monday, July 21 at 1:00 p.m. in Trinity Episcopal Church, where he was a member of the church and the choir. A reception will follow the service. Burial will be held 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 22, 2025 at Kinkead Cemetery in Warsaw, Missouri. Memorials are suggested to the Shriners Hospital for Children. Williamson Funeral Home in Jacksonville is in charge of arrangements. Condolences may be left online at www.airsman-hires.com.
