John G. Humphris

JOHN G. HUMPHRIS, 84, of Sidney passed away Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 9:20 PM at Ohio Living Dorothy Love. He was born on November 24, 1936 in Birmingham, England, the son of the late Jack William and Jesse Mae (Jennings) Humphris. On January 3, 1972, John married the former Margaret E. Owen, who survives.

Along with John's parents, he was preceded in death by brother, Brian David Humphris.

From 1955 to 1959, John was a member of the British Royal Air Force where he served in the intelligence branch with the secret service.   He provided invaluable service as a linguist and distinguished himself as a translator of several languages. After finishing his military service, John worked in administration at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham from 1960 to 1966.   

In 1966, John accepted a position in Montreal with Collectors Research Limited.   He later worked as a freelance researcher and numismatic historian.  John and Margaret came to Sidney, Ohio, in 1975, joining the staff at Amos Press at the personal request of J. Oliver Amos.  John and Margaret founded the Birmingham Numismatic Society.   He was a member of the Shelby County Coin Club for many years. John's freelance work provided Margaret and him opportunities to travel to many countries around the world.   

John enjoyed the study and translation of languages including Russian, Arabic, Turkish, German, French, Greek and Chinese. John collected books on coins, languages and history. Other interests were calligraphy and art. 

John and Margaret helped initiate the building project for the new county animal shelter and have been supporters of Shelby County Animal Rescue Foundation (S.C.A.R.F.) for many years. 

Throughout his retirement, John's interest in history, languages and numismatics remained a passion. 

A memorial service will be conducted by Rev. Jane Madden on Saturday, June 26, at 11:00 a.m. in the Amos Memorial Chapel at Ohio Living Dorothy Love. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in John's memory to S.C.A.R.F (Shelby County Animal Rescue Foundation) PO BOX 671 Sidney, OH 45365. Condolences may be expressed to the Humphris family at our website, www.cromesfh.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John G. Humphris, please visit our floral store.