February 25, 2001
Johnny Lovelace
John D. Lovelace died at home with his family in Minnetonka, Minnesota on 2-25-2001 after losing his battle with colon cancer. He was 58 years old. John was preceded in death by parents, William K. Sr. and Ira Jean Lovelace; brother, William Jr. He is survived by his wife Sara; children, Brad Lovelace of CA and Cheryl Lovelace and husband Eric Miller of NC, Jennifer Lovelace of Minnetonka and David Lovelace of Minnetonka; granddaughter Madeline Miller; aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
He was the Vice President of Food Services Division, Dayton-Hudson Corporation. He was the 1990 IV Award Winner (the Oscar of the Hospitality Industry), and the 1995 International Silver Plate Award recipient. He was a member/board of directors Minnesota Restaurant Association, and Board of Trustees International Food Manufacture’s Association.
The funeral will be at 1 PM Thursday, Calvary Lutheran Church of Golden Valley, 7520 Golden Valley Road. The interment will be at Lakewood. Visitation is 1 ½ hours before the service Thursday at the church.
He taught his children, “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
(Published Feb 27, 2001, Washburn-McReavy Stobeck Johnson Chapel.)
On a personal note: Johnny moved to Tallahassee and attended Leon High School with all of us our sophomore year (1957-58). He played on the Leon Junior Varsity football team. During the summer after our sophomore year Johnny’s family moved to Sanford, Florida where Johnny completed his last two years of high school.
He was a starting halfback on the Seminole County High School football team his junior and senior years. After high school graduation (1960) he attended Florida State University and graduated in 1964 with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. He was a restaurant manager with an upscale department store in Miami for a number of years. He eventually was transferred to a management position in Minneapolis and worked there until he was too ill to continue.
Submitted by John Trott.
