John Elliott Alderman, 62, of Ocala, Florida, passed away suddenly on October 14, 2019 due to a heart attack. John Elliott was born on June 26, 1957 in Jacksonville, FL, the son of George and Johnnie Wheeler. He was adopted by Thomas Jay Alderman Jr after Jay’s marriage to Johnnie in 1959.
John Elliott earned a degree in Nuclear Physics, graduating top of his class and worked across the nation in the nuclear power industry for almost 20 years. He moved back to Ocala, FL in 2004 and worked for Lockheed Martin for 15 years as a Senior Tech Specialist/Engineer. He had planned to retire and move to Bogota, Colombia to be with his longtime girlfiend, Yohana Franco.
John Elliott had many interests, including playing his drums in a band; martial arts, recently earning his black belt in Taekwondo; Boy Scouts, receiving the Eagle Scout award as a young man and recently serving as Scoutmaster; catching and raising a variety of reptiles; fishing; and caring for his dogs, especially Sophia.
John Elliot is preceded in death by his mother, Johnnie Pearl Dripps and niece, Jessica Lynn Alderman.
He is survived by his adoptive father, Thomas Jay Alderman, Jr.; his biological father, George Wheeler; siblings, Venus Ann Alderman, Diana Selene Alderman, Thomas Jay Alderman III; and girlfriend, Yohana Franco.
John Elliott, with his quirky sense of humor and kind, caring nature will be missed by many.
No memorial service is scheduled yet. Memorial donations may be made in his name to the Humane Society of Marion County.