John died Dec. 24, 2009, in Geneva, Switzerland, where he lived for many years.
He came to Princeton from Deerfield Academy, where he was active in football, hockey, and lacrosse. Before graduating with a degree in aeronautical engineering, he rowed on the Princeton crew and in his last year managed the stage crew of the Triangle Club.
In 1950 he joined the Air Force and in 1951 married Marie-Claire Blumer-Maillart of Zurich. John’s Air Force service included ferrying supplies to the French Foreign Legion in Hanoi.
John studied structural engineering at the Technische Hochschule in Zurich, graduating in 1957, and then did advanced studies in soil mechanics at Harvard University. In 1964, John and his family moved to Switzerland, where he worked on projects such as tunneling in the Alps, building a hydroelectric dam on the Tigris River in Turkey, drilling water wells in Algeria, and installing a sewer system by means of laser-guided boring machines in Valparaiso, Chile.
John is survived by Marie-Claire; three daughters, Annabella Schalchli, Beatrice Cuniberti, and Cornelia Cuniberti-Gibbons; a son, Eduard; and five grandchildren.
He will be remembered as a devoted father and husband, and as a colorful, engaging, stalwart, and loyal friend.