John Robin Avera

John Robin Avera was born October 18, 1952, in Sarepta, Louisiana to Zula Burnett Avera and Walter Edward Avera, and passed away on July 6, 2025, in Carteret County, North Carolina.

His mama and daddy loved Robin dearly and he was always so proud to report that his excellent grammar was due to Zula, a high school English teacher, and his ability to ‘rig’ things was from Walter, a WWII US Army veteran, a machinist with International Paper, and owner/operator of Avera Machine Shop in Sarepta, and an expert “fixer”. He always referred to them with much affection as Walter and Zula.

John graduated from Louisiana Tech in 1975, obtained his Public Education Certificate from Louisiana College, and his Master of Education in Special Education from Northwestern State University. He worked in several positions for the Louisiana Department of Education in Special Education.

Known for years as “Robin”, he evolved into “John” after college.

John began his career with the Department of Defense as an Educational Diagnostician with the Education Resource Center in Wuerzburg, Germany in 1988. He moved into the Department of Defense Education Activity sector and as a special education teacher, John initiated several of the first fully inclusive classrooms in the system.

Due to John’s extraordinary knowledge of children and families with special needs, he was promoted to the position of Special Education Coordinator for the Bavaria District in Germany. He was soon in charge of the district’s Early Childhood programs as well. John found immense joy in these students, their families, and their teachers and administrators. He understood instinctively that all these people had to coalesce to help children thrive and find contentment. His sense of fun, his empathy, and his ability to solve problems made his tenure in these positions immensely successful.

John held these positions until retirement in 2016, when he moved to Durham, NC to be near long time friends who were blessed to have him blended into their family. John was not only a beloved brother and uncle, he invested himself so wholly in his decades-long relationships that he became a de facto father and grandfather as well.

John made friends everywhere he went. There may have never been a more authentic and genuine friend than John; he was one of a kind. As news of his passing spread, people from every end of the earth, from all walks of life and all across the spectrum spoke to John’s friendship and kindnesses. He chose to live a life dedicated to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

John loved to travel, especially to Turkey. Images of him holding court in tea shops and rug galleries bring joy to so many of us. After travel became more difficult, John started making bread, canning every known fruit and vegetable, reading, and hosting family and friends. His final years were spent in heroic efforts to maintain health and mobility. He remained optimistic that he could regain his strength until the end.

John is survived by countless people who will carry his special light for the rest of their lives, and his unique personality and all his ‘old tales of the South’ will remain with his tribe forever.

To permit worldwide participation, a virtual memorial service will be held on August 2nd, 2025 at 1:00pm EDT (a published participation link will be forthcoming).

Condolences and life tributes may be sent to the family at www.noebrooks.net

Arrangements by Noe-Brooks Funeral Home & Crematory of Morehead City, NC.