John Neal (Speedys) Websters service at Salisbury National Cemetery Annex

A legend is gone…Major (Ret) John “Speedy” Webster passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his family at age of 94 on Saturday, May 21, 2022.
Born in Statesville, NC, he was a son of the late Elree and Beatrice Gilleland Webster. John enlisted in the Navy in 1945 and spent the last months of WWII in the Pacific Theater guarding Japanese POWs. After WWII, he attended Duke University where he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force and became a pilot flying P-51s, F-86l, T-33s and various other aircraft. During the Korean War he flew 21 combat missions and amassed 54 hours in a T-6 Texan as a Forward Air Controller. Continuing his tradition of service to the United States, he served in Vietnam as a C-130 pilot and eventually retired from Myrtle Beach Air Force Base in 1970. John was a 5-time South Carolina Racquetball Champion and a Southeastern United States National Racquetball Champion. He was also Mr. United Kingdom Bodybuilding Champion from 1960-1964. John was presented with the Keys to the City in recognition of his achievements by the City of Surfside Beach. He was preceded in death by his two wives, Sally Webster and Shirley Ann Smith Webster: a daughter, Madeline Webster and two brothers, Emory and Clark Webster.
Survivors include his children, Melissa Caulder of NC, Tracey Webster of NC, Perry Churchill of CA and Jonnie Webster of OH; ten grandchildren; five great-grandchildren and his brother Emory’s sons, John Carl and James Webster. The Legend will be missed…
A funeral service will be held at 3:00 PM Tuesday, May 31, 2022 at Goldfinch Funeral Home, Beach Chapel. The family will receive friends 2 hours prior to the service. Burial will be held at Salisbury National Cemetery.