Parish mourning death of John Emory Sr.

Lincoln Parish is mourning the loss of one of its financial leaders after John Emory Sr. passed away Monday morning at the age of 87.

Emory was longtime CEO of what started as the Bank of Choudrant, which changed its name to Community Trust Bank (CTB) in 1986 and to Origin Bank in 2015 to elevate its brand as the company continued to expand beyond its founding borders with an eye toward going public.

Origin Bank went public in the spring of 2018 and now trades on the stock market under the symbol OBNK.

“Mr. Emory meant such a great deal to me, Origin Bank, and Lincoln Parish,” said Drake Mills, chairman, president and CEO of Origin Bankcorp. “He laid the foundation for the bank’s success and had a focus and drive to do right by our customers and invest in this community. Our employees and board of directors will pay tribute to his legacy by continuing to serve our customers and communities in a meaningful way.”

A native of Choudrant, Emory began his banking career in 1955 at the former Ruston State Bank and rose through the ranks to become a senior vice president there.

“He made a difference,” said former Ruston State Bank President/CEO Johnny Maxwell, who was a banking partner of Emory’s for more than 35 years.

After retiring as CEO of CTB, Emory stayed on as chairman of the board there while also becoming a driving force behind the creation of a multi-parish northeast Louisiana economic development group.

Emory was presented with the 2007 Robert Russ Award for those efforts.

“Mr. Emory really demonstrated his leadership this past year when he pushed for the creation of an economic development organization to represent a four-to-five parish region,” said then-Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce Director Scott Terry at the time Emory was presented with the Russ Award.

“He led our organizational group by pulling together individuals from Lincoln, Ouachita, Union, Richland and Morehouse parishes,” Terry said at the time.

Former Ruston Dixie Center for the Arts director Marlen Waters credited him at the time he was presented with the Russ Award for his support in making the historic theater’s restoration become a reality.

“He believed in preserving and enhancing the Dixie, knowing that the theater would become an entertainment anchor contributing to the preservation and revitalization of historic downtown Ruston,” Waters said at the time.

Over the years Emory was also active in a number of community organizations, including Med Camps of Louisiana, the North Central Louisiana Arts Council, United Way and the Boy Scouts of America.

He also served on the Ruston Board of Aldermen from 1964-72.

“John Emory was a delightful person and a great friend,” Maxwell said. “There’s not much that was good that happened in Lincoln Parish that John didn’t have his hands in. He was a compassionate man. I can remember when we were working together and drug stores stopped delivering, he would go pay for drugs and deliver him to those who he found out needed them. He was that special.

“He was also a great banker. He handled both numbers and people very easily. The community is less fortunate no longer having John Emory Sr. as a part of it. He would do anything for anyone and didn’t want any publicity or recognition for doing so. He was only doing what was in his heart, and it was a heart of gold.”

Funeral arrangements for Emory were not available as of press time on Monday.