John Martin Wiles, 72, formerly of Forsyth, Missouri, died early Tuesday morning January 5, 2021, in Meridian Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Wichita, Kansas.

He was born July 27, 1948, in Trenton, Grundy County, Missouri, to Harl Kenneth and Dorothy Mae Little Wiles.  He obeyed the gospel of Christ as a teenager and, while living in Forsyth, worshipped with the Church of Christ.

After his 1966 high school graduation in Sikeston, MO, John served in the U.S. Army from 1968-1970 including assignment to the Military Affiliated Radio System Station (MARS Station) of the 29th Signal Group, 379th Signal Battalion, Company A - located high atop "Ross Mountain" at Samae San, Thailand. John was part of a three-man team of operators patching service members' calls over the North Pole and down through Canada to amateur radio operators in the United States.

John was employed in an interesting variety of jobs from auto mechanics to emergency dispatch prior to 20+ years of service with O'Reilly Automotive in counter sales, managing the new O'Reilly Store in Forsyth, and finally in the Springfield call center.

He enjoyed the camaraderie and sport of bass fishing with the Forsyth Bass Club. He was an avid amateur radio operator and enjoyed visiting with friends, family, and strangers alike. A highlight of his retirement was RV camping with lifelong friends, Mike and Debbie Hornback, whom he first met while attending high school in Sikeston.

John was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers-in-law, Bruce Huber and Larry Thomas; and one niece, Julia Mae Thomas Waggner.

He is survived by two sisters - Rosa Ellen Thomas (Wichita, KS) and Mary Lucille Huber (Springfield, MO); four nieces - Brenda Thomas Hanes, Sheryl Thomas Wells (Jim), April Huber