John Carl Person

John Carl Person died on May 30, 2023, at the age of 71. He is survived by his two children, Maggie Person (and spouse Danny Sexton) and Jeff Person, his grandson Patrick Sexton, his mother Christine Person, and his siblings Jim Person (and spouse Cindy), Marge Lauer, Andy Person, and Betsy Goldberg (and spouse Ed). He is predeceased by his father, John H. Person. John was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan, where he attended Waverly High School. John made his mark early, playing football at Waverly and being elected homecoming king. He attended the University of Michigan, where he earned three degrees, including a BS in Civil Engineering in 1974, an MS in Civil Engineering in 1980, and a Law Degree in 1983. John was a lifelong University of Michigan sports fan (Go Blue!). Following his undergraduate studies, John built power plants for several years as an engineer for Townsend & Bottum. After he graduated from law school, John moved to the Washington D.C. area, where he joined the law firm Lewis, Mitchell & Moore. He worked there until the firm disbanded in 1987. After brief stints at other law firms, John joined forces with a close friend, Brian Craver, to form Person & Craver, LLP. There he continued his government contracts practice, specializing in construction, environmental cleanup, and electric utilities litigation. John was active as an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association and regularly taught government contracts classes for Federal Publications. John met his wife Kathy Tighe in 1983 when they were both associates at Lewis, Mitchell & Moore. Through the nearly 35 years of their marriage (divorced in 2021), John and Kathy raised their two children in Falls Church, VA, traveled extensively both with and without their children, renovated two houses, and spent summers visiting family in both the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Cape May, New Jersey, as well as winters skiing. In later years, they built a house on Lake Charlevoix, Michigan. John was active in his church, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, where he served on the Church Council and as a Trustee. John’s great passion was golf. He had enjoyed many happy years playing at International Country Club and loved the camaraderie and friendship of his golf buddies. The high point of John’s golf career was winning the first annual Raf J. Dominguez memorial golf tournament at the club. John will be missed by his friends and family. Those who knew John will remember his work ethic, love of music, and sense of humor. A service in John’s honor will be held at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 3022 Woodlawn Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22042 at 10:30 am on August 26, 2023. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to support people with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (www.amcsupport.org).