Final Salute

May 19, 1954 – July 6, 2026

John Walter Verbiest, 72, passed away on July 6th in Hickory, N.C., surrounded by his loving family.

John was a fifth-generation New Yorker, raised on the northernmost tip of Manhattan in the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Inwood. He was a lifelong baseball fan, a love instilled by his beloved grandfather, John Larkin. He proudly represented Cardinal Hayes High School in the shadow of Yankee Stadium before moving to Tenafly, NJ, and lettering in football and baseball at Tenafly High School.

John joined the US Navy Construction Battalion “Seabees,” gaining construction skills he carried for the rest of his life. His carpentry training went into renovating historic homes in downtown Charleston and classic island-style homes in the Lowcountry. John later returned to the classroom and studied civil engineering, before spending the rest of his career as a Superintendent on commercial roofing projects across the Southeast.

John and Tamara met in 1982 and were married a year later at Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island, S.C. Their courtship and marriage spanned 44 years. The craftsman and the artist made a great team: she designed, and he happily built. Along the way, their family grew with two sons, Jake and Will, whom he counted as his greatest accomplishments. John was a proud “Pop” to his grandson, Leo.

John loved a well-turned phrase, whether in a John Prine song, an Elmore Leonard novel, or a Coen Brothers film. He had a quick sense of humor, preferred the scenic drive home, and savored the simple pleasures of life. Too impatient to wait for Heaven, John built his own paradise – his backyard bar, “Club V.”

John is survived by his wife, Tamara Turnmyre Verbiest, of Hickory; his sons, Jake Verbiest (daughter-in-law Claire Hite and grandson, Leo Verbiest) of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Will Verbiest of Raleigh, N.C.; brothers-in-law, Ken Turnmyre (wife Donna) and John Turnmyre, all of Hickory; sister, Kathy V. Baldock of Reno, Nev.; nieces, nephews, cousins, and his lifelong best friends, Michael Duggan and Tom Gilbert. John was predeceased by his cherished mother, Roberta L. McCormick, and brother, Arthur Larkin. John also leaves behind Tamara’s extended Hamilton family, whom he loved and proudly claimed as his own.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Carolina Caring Hospice in Newton, N.C.