John Dwayne Harvill, 84, of Springfield, Missouri, passed away on December 3, 2017, from natural causes.

John was born on September 12, 1933 in Elkhead, Missouri to Fae and Bob Harvill. He graduated from Sparta High School in 1951. He then enlisted in the Navy where he was a yeoman-third-class and served during the Korean Conflict , based in Japan, Hong Kong, and California. Following his honorable discharge in 1956, he enrolled in college at Southwest Missouri State. He was an active member of Kappa Alpha Fraternity and made lasting friendships, a few poor decisions, and plenty of fun memories. While attending SMS, he met the love of his life, Sandra K. Lamb, a member of Tri Sigma Sorority. They married on June 15, 1962 in Springfield, Missouri, and remained wed for fifty years, separated by her death in 2012.

John was known for his interesting stories, love of parties, and compassion for helping those down on their luck. In 1978, John became a polygraph examiner and president of Personnel Research, Inc. From the mid-1980s through the 1990s, he was the Director of Security for Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG). Following his retirement from AWG, John continued to administer polygraph examinations until he was 81. John was an enthusiastic SMS basketball fan for over 40 years and rarely missed a home game. He was also an avid golfer and spent much of his time with Sandra and friends on the golf course at Twin Oaks Country Club. When he wasn't golfing, he could be found at Houlihan's South sitting on his personal barstool visiting with old friends and making new ones. John was a devoted husband, and a doting father and grandfather.

John is survived by his brother-in-law, Fred Braden of Sparta, Missouri; his brother-in-law Arlie James Lamb of San Mateo, CA; his brother-in-law Mike Lamb and his wife Darlene of Golden, Colorado; his son Nick Harvill and his husband Steve Roussey of West Hollywood, CA; his daughter Alison Miller, her husband Dr. Chris Miller and their children Ryan, Ellie and Maggie of Springfield. He was preceded in death by his wife Sandra in 2012, and sister, Bessie Braden in 2011.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, December 17 at 2 p.m. at Campbell United Methodist Church, located at 1747 E. Republic Rd. Following the service, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., there will a celebration of John's life at Twin Oaks Country Club, located at 1020 East Republic Road. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made to the Lost and Found Grief Center (telephone: 417-865-9998, or online: http://lostandfoundozarks.com/Donate ), or the charity of your choice . Arrangements are under the care of Gorman-Scharpf Brentwood Chapel.

A special thanks to the loving staff, and John's good friends, at The Fremont Senior Living Community who made it a wonderful home to John for his last 2 years.