John died March 1, 2015, of ALS and congestive heart failure.
He was a brilliant and easygoing person. John played quarterback, excelled in track, wrote music, and majored in physics. He left Princeton and joined the Marine Corps, returning to graduate in 1960.
During that period he married, earned a master’s degree in physics from Michigan State, and had three sons.
John had two professional careers: as an international educator and as a physicist. He was headmaster of a boarding school in Nigeria from 1963 to 1966. In 1967, he taught at a college in Maiduguri, but civil war eventually ended his work in Nigeria. He then returned to the United States as a teacher and administrator in California. His second career began in 1983 as a senior physicist for the 3M Co. John worked for other companies and later as a private contractor, authoring 14 patents for his inventions.
His loves were backpacking and music. John sang in many groups and wrote folk songs, performing in clubs in San Francisco.
John is remembered by his dear wife, Judy Erickson; sons Kelly and Mark; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. His son, Christopher, preceded him in death, as did his first wife, Ann Webster.