John Foster Eldredge

“He was a kind man.” That was what so many people have said or written when they learned that my brother, John Foster Eldredge, had passed away on Tuesday morning, August 11, 2026.

Born in Opelika, AL, he was the son of the late James Foster and Veronica Lois Weaver Eldredge. John lived most of his life in Nashville with a 6-year stint in Campbellsville, KY during his teens, as well as 6 months traveling around Europe with his family at age 11-12 and another 3 months at age 16.

John is survived by his sister, Mary L. Eldredge of Richmond, VA, and numerous cousins around the US (especially Eddie Eldredge of Kingsport, TN). Special friends in Nashville included Rhea Bullington, Tim and Joan Lehning, and Jane and Al Hussain.

John had many wide-ranging interests. He majored in history, first at Campbellsville College (now University) in KY, then graduated from Belmont College (now University) in Nashville. He began a two-year Master’s program at Middle Tennessee State University in historic preservation, but decided that would not be his future career path. Returning to Nashville, he began exploring a career in the field of computers by studying first computer repair and then computer programming at Nashville State Community College. There he found his life’s work, working as a programmer and system administrator since 1986 amid like-minded colleagues.

He was an early and faithful member of the Nashville Linux User Group starting in the late 1990’s and was a long-time secretary of the group, continuing to join virtual meetings even from the hospital and from hospice care. He was an active member of Nashville 2600 starting in about 1999 and long-time board member. John's first PhreakNIC (regional hacker and technology convention) was PhreakNIC 4 in 2000.

John became a member of Americans United for Separation of Church and State (www.au.org) in the mid-1990’s. He was a long-time Board Member and former Chair of the Program Committee of the Nashville Peace and Justice Center (www.nashvillepeacejustice.org) and would often staff an information table for both groups (AU and NPJC) during public events. John also joined the Friends of the Mill Creek Baptist Church Graveyard under the influence of Dr. Albert Wardin, his history professor at Belmont College, and served on the Board for a number of years.

As Asperger’s Syndrome began being covered in the media, John said he and many of his colleagues recognized themselves and acknowledged that most of them were somewhere on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum. His favorite books tended to be science fiction, and he had a tendency to want to explain things he had read about (whether or not he had a willing audience). He liked answering questions on Quora and also loved puns and corny jokes! John was possibly the smartest person in the family, maybe in part because we were encouraged to read the encyclopedia to each other at dinner when we were kids. John was a dedicated cat dad for a number of years and was a long-time member of a cat-focused user group that eventually migrated to Facebook, where he was one of the administrators. Although he never had children of his own, he loved to see little kids in public spaces, being their little-kid selves. He was interested in his Scottish heritage, though he never had the opportunity to visit Scotland, but enjoyed listening to Celtic music. (His phone ringtone was "Scotland the Brave.") His tastes in food were more wide-ranging, usually involving a high level of spiciness. in his later years of congregate dining, he made sure to have a small bottle of hot sauce in his pocket to liven up bland meals.

John was a faithful member of First Baptist Church Nashville from 1967-1970 and 1977-2026 (after the family moved back to Nashville from KY), though he was unable to attend in person in later years.

John was a wonderful big brother. He taught his little sister to read when he was only 6-1/2 and I was 4. We toasted marshmallows over candles on the dining table and staged Nativity scenes under it during the Christmas season (when we were still small enough to fit under the table). He didn’t hold it against me when I broke a window, and he had to get stitches after stepping in the broken glass. He was such a good playmate that when he started school, I hid his shoes one day so he would stay home with me. (It didn't work.) We had drifted apart a little after I moved away from Nashville, but we reestablished a close relationship after both our parents died within a 5-1/2-month span in 2001 and never ended a phone conversation without saying “I love you.” He will be greatly missed.

A visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. followed immediately by a celebration of life at 11 a.m. on Thursday, August 27, 2026 at Nashville’s First Baptist Church, 108 7th Ave S., Nashville, TN 37203.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in John’s name can be made to Americans United for Separation of Church and State (www.au.org), the Nashville Peace and Justice Center (www.nashvillepeacejustice.org), Friends of the Mill Creek Baptist Church Graveyard (c/o William Heath Edwards, Treasurer, 504 Jefferson Davis Drive, Franklin, TN 37069-6212), or First Baptist Church, 108 7th Ave S., Nashville, TN 37203.