John died of pneumonia March 3, 2011, at home in Manchester, Mass., following an extended illness.

A graduate of Shaker Heights (Ohio) High School, John majored in mechanical engineering at Princeton, where he was active in Madison Debating and Whig-Clio. He accelerated to join the Navy in 1943. During his three-year service, he was involved in guided-missile tests and radar-guided small missiles.

After the war he received a master’s degree in thermodynamics at MIT, taught engineering at Princeton, and had a career with GE. In 1948 he married Julie Beaulieu.

John retired in 1984. He became active in civil-defense projects and became a passionate sailor by sailing and maintaining sailboats. He also built model planes, rockets, and boats. He and Julie sailed his 33-foot Rhodes Swiftsure up and down the Northeast coast, often docking in Nantucket.

He was preceded in death by his wife. He is survived by his daughters, Ann and Jean; 11 nieces and nephews; his dear friend, Rosamund Bell; and caregivers who made his last years comfortable.

His daughter, Ann, said that, while her father attended only his 50th reunion, “He was always proud of being a Princeton man.”

The Class of 1944