Although he looks gruff on the surface, he has an extremely deep love for his family and Walton's Mountain and gets defensive if either one becomes threatened. Despite this, John is relatively laid back and usually let's his children make decisions for themselves, much to Olivia's chagrin. He pushes his children to pursue whatever they want, even if it's not what he wanted for them. John is extremely hard working and believes jobs should be finished once they are started, and does not want any of his children goofing off when there is work to be done.
John is not as religious as the rest of family, and he usually stays home from church on Sundays, only attending for special occasions.