John Patrick TiernanCandler - John Patrick Tiernan, 67, of Candler, NC died peacefully on May 27, 2017 at the John F. Keever Solace Center in Asheville, NC surrounded by his beloved wife of 26 years, Claire, and other family members. John was born on December 11,1949 in New Hampton, IA to Bernard and Agnes (Reilly) Tiernan. He was raised in Wisconsin and Illinois. John spent 34 years with the Georgia Department of Transportation in Atlanta, GA. He retired in 2005 as assistant state bridge engineer. After retiring, he worked part-time as a consulting engineer with Arcadis in Atlanta. In addition to Claire, John is survived by his sister, Mary (Bill) Etchison of Bradenton, FL, and brothers Mike (Val) of O'Fallon, IL, Jim (Pat) of Benton, KY, BJ of Londonderry, Ireland, Tom (Kathy) of Danville, IL and Kevin (Aimee) of Troy IL, and many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his in-laws, Margaret and Walter Sellers, and Claire's sister Mary (David) Doyle. The family sincerely thanks all the wonderful and caring friends who were so supportive, kind and helpful to both John and Claire during his illness. Additionally, the family extends a grateful thank you to the doctors, nurses and staff at SECU Cancer Center, St. Joseph Hospital, and John F. Keever Solace Center in Asheville who were so attentive and caring. A celebration of John's life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations for a Tribute Tree Memorial may be made in John's name to North Carolina Arboretum Society at: www.ncarboretum.org or by phone: 828-665-2492 (Contact: Winnie Hough).