Some few of us have “it”. John H. Britton III had “it” when he was six months old: charisma …a quiet charisma.
Born to an Upper Montgomery County Maryland mother on June 19, 1967, or “Juneteenth,” he was soon brought to a social worker facility in Rockville to become a candidate for adoption. On a day when the Brittons were called to the agency to, hopefully, choose a youngster to adopt, a baby boy was the final child introduced. They were just about to the exit when they turned in response to a tiny noise they heard. What they saw was a charismatic grin on the baby’s face. That did it. The child was moved from anonymity to become a full-fledged Britton, with adoring grandparents in Nashville, a sister in Atlanta, and dozens of friends across America.
John III attended public schools in Potomac and graduated from Churchill High School. Subsequently, his love of music influenced him to enroll at Hampton University where he immediately joined the school’s dynamic, high-stepping showtime marching band and became a fixture on its powerful drum line. Later, he returned home and attended the University of the District of Columbia where his father, John H. Britton, Jr. was a marketing communication specialist. John III left school to become a sales associate for Sprint, the one-time telephone giant. Later, he did sales work for several tech companies.
His career in the workforce was effectively ended when he suffered two back-to-back strokes. It was the fourth stroke in five years, suffered at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center, that took John’s life on Friday, May 22. 2020.
John is survived by his father, John H. Britton, Jr. (Cherrie); three daughters, Amanda, Eva, and Lauryn; his former wife, Tricia Britton; a sister Patricia Kimbro and a niece Lidina Kimbro of Atlanta. His mother, Betty Britton, preceded him in death.
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