John Wright Pyne ’40

A prolonged encounter with declining health finally overcame John Pyne on Sept. 15,1999, at his Peapack, N.J., home. Classmates Ned Burke, Dick Purnell, and Ben Fuller attended John's memorial service in Gladstone, N.J.

Johnny prepared at Groton, where he was active in sports and publications. In college he concentrated in modern languages and literature, won freshman football numerals, played polo and rugby, and was a member of Ivy Club. During WWII and the Korean War, he served as an Army intelligence officer. He worked in banking and with several NYC brokerage firms before he retired in 1974.

Johnny will be recalled as a warm and thoughtful individual who displayed genuine interest and courtesy toward others. Friendships were extremely important to him, and all his life he remembered with fondness his Princeton experiences and his '40 classmates.

Johnny was also devoted to his family, enjoying their presence with pride and love. His later years centered around a quiet country life with children, grandchildren, and close friends nearby. Travel, reading, music, and gardening also occupied his time.

To his wife, Nancy, son Taylor, daughter Holly, three grandsons, brother Eben '39, and sister Alison Ewing, the class extends its deepest sympathy and shares the loss of this faithful gentleman and true Princetonian.

The Class of 1940