John Earl Lanier, Sr., 81, of Montgomery, died Friday, May 22, 2026, at Hospice Savannah with his beloved wife by his side. Born September 7, 1944, in Montgomery to Marion Thomas Lanier and Mary Moore Lanier Syms.  He graduated from Savannah High School in 1964. He joined the U.S. Army in 1965 and served in Vietnam. He was drafted into the Army as an E1 Private and honorably discharged as an E4 Specialist. During his time in the Army, he served in the 82nd Airborne, stationed in Fort Bragg, NC, he earned numerous awards and medals to include, the Parachute Badge, Combat Infantry Badge, National Defense Service Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal.  He was a member of Local Union 188 as a pipefitter/welder for 58 years.   He was a member of Port City Church of Savannah. He loved hunting, fishing and attending car shows. He enjoyed playing jokes on people, camping with his two boys when they were younger, and meticulously restoring his hot rods, going on to earn awards for showing his cars. His main love was for his wife and his family.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sisters, Estelle Driggers Russell, and Marianne Walker, and his stepfather, Louis Syms.

Surviving Mr. Lanier is his wife of 57 years Nancy Maureen Williams Lanier, his sons, John Earl Lanier, Jr., and Wesley Hyson Lanier (Capricia), his grandchildren, Austin Lanier, Aaron Lanier, Dylan Dettmer, Victoria Brown, Benjamin Westbrook, Jayden Coe, and great-granddaughter, Olivia Brown.  He is also survived by his brothers, Bucky Lanier and Ricky Syms, many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The Funeral Service will be 11:00 a.m., Friday, May 29, 2026, at Fox & Weeks, Hodgson Chapel.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.

Burial will follow the service at 1:00 p.m. in Oak Hill Cemetery, Meldrim, GA. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Port City Church of Savannah, 401 Tibet Ave, Savannah, GA 31406.