John Denniston St. Clair, Jr., of Marblehead, passed away on June 18, 2019 after a brief illness. He is survived by Kathy, his wife of nearly 47 years, who spent every moment by his side during his final weeks. He also leaves his children, Amy DiLaura of Burlingame, California, John D. St. Clair III (Tripp) of Saco, Maine, and Julie Terkaly of Sausalito, California; his sister, Mary Kimball of Marblehead; and his children-in-law, Peter DiLaura, Lauren St. Clair, and Julian Terkaly. John was the proud grandfather of Alexandra, Maxwell, Hope, Samuel, William, Silas, Nathalie, and Tyler, who loved their time with him flying balsa planes, playing checkers, and fishing. He was predeceased by his parents, John D. St. Clair, Sr. (Denny) and Catherine St. Clair of Longboat Key, Florida.
Raised in Canton, Ohio, John was a 1959 graduate of Western Reserve Academy in Hudson. He loved his four years there and his comradeship with his classmates, and was an active alumnus. He attended Trinity College, from which he graduated in 1963 with what he liked to joke was a major in guitar and banjo, and a minor in engineering. John was an avid sailor and boater throughout his life. He moved to Marblehead in 1969 and quickly became an enthusiastic member of the local sailing community. He and Kathy joined the Corinthian Yacht Club in 1975, and spent many hours on their boat “Wings” in the harbor, and on the deck enjoying cocktails with friends.
In his younger years, John was a licensed pilot and flew his own Piper Comanche. Once he sold the plane and turned his focus to the water, he named his first boat “Clipped Wings” as a cheeky homage to his former hobby. He maintained an interest in flying throughout his life, and would often turn to the sky when a small plane went by, identifying the type of plane it was and sharing stories of his flying days.
John was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. We treasure our memories and think of him every day. He will be greatly missed.
John’s family welcomes friends to visit at Eustis and Cornell of Marblehead, 142 Elm Street from 4-7pm on Thursday, June 27. A celebration of John’s life will be held at Old North Church, 35 Washington Street, Marblehead at 10:30am on Friday, June 28. In lieu of flowers, and to celebrate John’s life, his family welcomes memorial donations made in his name to the Mass General Cancer Center at www.massgeneral.org/donate.
