John Tillman Hearne of Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. – a surfer, police officer, information technology consultant and community college instructor – died Monday, November 25, 2024, at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C., of complications from cancer. He was 72.

John was born July 9, 1952, in Charlotte, N.C., to Woodrow Wilson and Lillian Ingram Hearne, but grew up at the family’s cottage in Carolina Beach from the age of 5. As a youngster, John was enthralled by the Fort Fisher Hermit’s stories and frequently visited his WWII bunker. John cajoled local fishermen into taking him by boat to Bald Head Island, where he camped in the abandoned cottages. He also was a fixture on the Carolina Beach boardwalk, where small chores for the merchants earned him nickels for tickets to movies at the Wave Theater and treats at Britts Donuts.

As a teen he played both offense and defense as co-captain of the Hoggard High School football team and became a Carolina Beach lifeguard. When the surfing craze arrived, he joined the South Island Surf Club, finding a sport and a group of friends he embraced for the rest of his life. His surfing style and nickname – Goofy-foot – later became an indelible part of his online persona.

After graduating from Hoggard in 1970 he followed his family’s long tradition of public service, joining the U.S. Army and serving first as a Carolina Beach EMT, then as a firefighter and, ultimately, as a patrolman with the Carolina Beach Police Department. In 1979, he met Wilmington Morning Star police reporter Bernadette “Bernie” Ransbottom on the telephone. Three months later they were engaged; at the time of his passing, John and Bernadette had been married for 44 years.

After leaving the police force John worked in banking and business software, studied information technology (IT) at Guilford Community College (GCC) in Greensboro, and became an IT consultant. He later taught IT classes at GCC and at Brunswick Community College in Bolivia. Teaching, John said, was the best job he could imagine.

In addition to Bernadette, John is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Fred and Mary Hearne of Wilmington; sister Pat Harris of Fayetteville; sister and brother-in-law Lucky and Homer Lee of Burgaw; brother-in-law Joel Ransbottom of Stallings; sisters-in-law Debbie Hearne of Newton, Donna Hearne of Waxhaw, and Lisa Rivard (with her husband Dana) of Weatherford, Texas; plus, many beloved nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, John was preceded in death by his brothers Ronald “Ronnie” Hearne (Waxhaw), and Anthony “Tony” Hearne (Newton).

A funeral mass for John will be held at 10 am Jan. 13, 2025 at St. Brendan the Navigator Catholic Church, Shallotte, NC, followed by a celebration of life reception in the church hall. All are welcome.

Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which provides free cancer treatment to children: https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html