John E. McCutchen, who served as the executive director of the American Farrier’s Association for 3 years, and his wife Susan Witte Hays both unexpectedly passed away Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019. He was 77. She was 73.

McCutchen and Hays, both of Jackson, Tenn., were killed in a car crash on Interstate 40 near Dickson, Tenn. A tractor trailer traveling west had a blowout on its left front tire, causing it to cross the center line and median, striking McCutchen’s eastbound vehicle, according to the Jackson Sun. Both vehicles overturned and caught fire. The driver and passenger of the tractor trailer were injured.

McCutchen served as an association executive for much of his career, including as the first executive director of the American Farrier’s Association from 2000 to 2003. He owned and operated McCutchen Management Services from 1991 until his death.

“All of us at the AFA are very saddened to learn of the loss of John and his wife,” Travis Burns, president of the AFA, told American Farriers Journal. “John was a tremendous asset to the AFA as its first executive director. He established the foundation of the AFA and its nonprofit status. My job as president is a lot easier today because of the groundwork that he and the membership at that time laid. We are forever grateful for John and his contributions.”

Visitation will be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jackson. A memorial service will follow at 11 a.m.,, then a reception in the Parish Hall. A private graveside service will be on Thursday at Ridgecrest Cemetery in Jackson. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jackson, Tenn., and to Rotary International.

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