John died quietly and gently Nov. 9, 2009, in Bartlett, N.H., in the company of his sons, David, Josh, and Tom, two weeks after being diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer.
Born in Widnes, England, John attended The Hill School, where he played soccer and track and wrote prose and poetry for the newspaper and literary magazine. At Princeton he played freshman squash and track, joined Elm Club, and majored in English. His thesis aligned Dylan Thomas with the tradition of mystical poetry from Wales, where he traced his nationality. He worked on the Nassau Lit and served as president of the Mountaineering Club.
John made his career in secondary education, teaching at Robert Academy in Istanbul, Germantown Academy, and, for many years, at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. In parallel, he pursued a career as a painter and sculptor, and followed his passion for rock climbing and coastal and offshore sailing. Over the years, he owned a number of classic boats.
John’s first marriage ended in divorce, and his second and third wives predeceased him. The class extends condolences to his family.