John Harris Grenville Temple, 71, of Ashland, died peacefully on January 11, 2012. Born on February 5, 1940, in Weymouth, England, John was the son of the late John Bruce Goodenough Temple and Lorna Livermore Temple Booker. He was also preceded in death by his sister Elizabeth Booker.

John moved to Bermuda in 1946 and settled in Charlotte, NC, at the age of eight. He attended Charlotte Country Day School, Myers Park High School and Millbrook School in NY, and graduated from The University of North Carolina in 1964. He also served in the U.S. Navy.

After school, he moved to Virginia Beach, VA, where he began his career in insurance. He continued his profession in the Tidewater area and retired from State Farm Insurance in 1999 after 31 years of service.

He is survived by his wife, Robin Southard Temple and their son, William Southard Temple; his son, Peter Andrew Tasman Temple and his wife Kirsten Franklin-Temple, of Seattle, WA; his daughter, Shannon Elizabeth Temple Gingras and her husband Nathan Gingras, of Richmond; three grandchildren, Eleanor Paige Franklin Temple, Henry Tasman Temple Gingras and Elizabeth Gertrude Temple Gingras; a brother, Peter Temple and his wife Betty of Tarboro, NC; a brother, Andrew Booker and his wife Kathy of Seattle, WA; and his loving nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

The family would like to extend special thanks to the caregivers at Bon Secours Hospice, Memorial Regional Medical Center, and Georgetown University Hospital.

A celebration gathering will be held on Sunday, January 15, 2012 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Nelsen Funeral Home, Reid Chapel, 412 S. Washington Hwy., Ashland, VA. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Friends of Dragon Run; P.O. Box 882, Gloucester, VA 23061.