John R. Ott

John was born in Newark, N.J. in 1926. After meeting in high school, he and Marjorie Hester were married in 1947. For 56 years, Marge and "Jack" shared a wonderful marriage, which was an inspiration to everyone who knew them. They fully enjoyed all the stages of their lives together and spread their joy and good humor to all.

The Ott family settled in Montclair, New Jersey and they became active members of the community. John was involved with athletic programs in Montclair over the years. He supported his two sons as they participated in various sports, both going on to achieve high levels of athletic awards in high school as well as college. He often coached their teams, and as a devoted fan and proud Dad, never missed a game. He also volunteered with the Cub Scouts and varied church programs.

The Otts retired to South Chatham, Massachusetts in 1985 after vacationing there each summer for 27 years. John designed the home they had built. He volunteered for the "Meals On Wheels" program, was a member of the Chatham Men's Club, and was active with the Friends of the Chatham Library.

John was known to his many friends and admirers as a charming, outgoing person who was always ready with a story, a strong hand-shake, and a smile. He was an unmatched handyman and could repair, design, create and solve nearly any conundrum. He was a true design thinker, engineer and inventor.

John began his career at AT&T (New Jersey Bell Telephone) in his early 20's and worked as a repair and maintenance technician throughout the northern N.J. area for over 35 years. His adventures and stories of installing, repairing and trouble-shooting telephone systems in factories, Port Newark waterfront, housing developments and airports were glimpses into the history of an era.

The period in which he worked was a pivotal one in the telecommunications industry, and as the nation's way of communicating changed, he had to evolve as well. In 1951, N.J. Bell was the first regional office in the country to initiate direct long-distance dialing. Until then, all calls had to be handled by operators. Then in 1965, the first electronic switching system was developed. By the end of his career, John was responsible for implementing the transition from analog to digital using the technology developed by Bell Labs.

John is survived by his beloved companion, Beverly Winston (Harwich Port, MA); three children: Janet (Reston, VA), John Jr. (San Rafael, CA), Robert (Kentfield, CA); his sister Anita Zitch (Tinton Falls, NJ); and five grandchildren:

Julian O. Karlen, Courtney L. Ott, John William Ott, Lauren M. Ott, Will Robert Ott.

And he leaves many dear friends, far and wide, too numerous to mention.

For online condolences, please visit www.nickersonfunerals.com