John Thomson Acorn died late Saturday evening, June 14, under the care of his wonderful Hospice nurse, Sara, and other members of the sweet staff at Clemson Downs.

John was the only son of John Thomson Sr and Mary Needham Acorn; brother of Marylou, Joan, and Anne; husband of the late Peggy Dee for more than 54 years; father of Andrea, Paul (Nichole), and Joanna Corley; grandfather of Lee (Keavy) and Taylor Marchbanks, Mars Corley, Charlie, Ella, Oliver, and Hayes Acorn and Brantley Knudsen; and great grandfather of Judah and Evelyn Marchbanks. John was the son-in-law of Frank Paul and Beulah Miller Dee and became like a brother to Peggy’s sisters Barbara, Virginia, and Eileen. John was the loving partner of Sandra Sanderson for the last 10 years.

John and Peggy met at Montclair State University while studying art education. Upon John’s receiving his Master of Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan and accepting the position of drawing and sculpture professor at Clemson University in 1961, they moved to South Carolina from New Jersey. Thus began John’s 36-year career as professor and, later, chair of the Clemson Art Department.

John had 3 major life-long loves–his family, his students and colleagues, and making things. John was a loving husband and father as well as son, brother, inlaw, uncle, and grandfather. His children are blessed that John and Peggy made the trip back to NJ every summer to spend time and develop close relationships with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

John’s other “family” were his colleagues and students, many of whom are still in the family’s lives, even after John’s retirement in 1997. John made an enormous impact on many students over the years as mentor, inspiration, and friend. When John began teaching at Clemson, he was only 23, just a bit older than his students! The family has fun memories of faculty parties that provided opportunities to grow long-lasting friendships.

John’s love of being a “maker,” as he liked to call himself, led him to achieve a certain level of notoriety, particularly in the SC art scene. Over the years, he won a number of awards and was commissioned to create works for churches, synagogues, the Anderson Arts Center, and for locations in downtown Greenville, to name a few. Many of John’s art series developed out of his other interests. His series of wooden green beans, for example, came from his love for gardening; the fish and fishing lure works and the series of Carolina countryside scenery come out of his love for the beach and his travels to and fro. John was a man of many interests, talents, and admirers.

To learn more about John and his work, visit johnacornart.com.

A celebration of life service will be held for John sometime in the fall.

A big Thank You to all of those out there who loved, supported, and helped care for John over the past few years. You know who you are, and the family appreciates you all more than you will ever know!