John Boatwright, 89
John Threewitz Boatwright, 89, passed away April 23, 2023, of natural causes in Hamilton, Mont.
John was born in Faribault, Minn., on Feb. 22, 1934, to Mabel Mary Boatwright (nee Johnson) and John Threewitz Boatwright.
John attended Illinois College, then transferred to Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He met Barbara Jane Sibley while in college and they were married Sept. 10, 1955. He then enlisted in the United States Army Signal Corps and was stationed in Germany for two years. He and Barbara returned to the states and John earned his degree in electrical engineering from MIT in 1960.
After graduation, John and Barbara moved to Loveland, Colo., where John took a job with Hewlett Packard. John and Barbara remained in Loveland until 1966, during which time their family grew to include Laurie Sue, Celeste Elaine and Charles Edward. John and Barbara moved east at the beginning of 1967, relocating to Hopkinton, N.H., and John took a position with Northeast Electronics in Concord, N.H., ultimately becoming president. Jennifer Amy was born in 1967.
During his 43 years in Hopkinton, John started and grew his own telecommunications technology business, Summa Four, Inc., staying with his company until his retirement. He assisted other telecom businesses by consulting and sitting on their boards. He truly enjoyed being part of Merrimack Telephone Company.
John and Barbara both spent considerable hours volunteering for the town of Hopkinton. John was a school board member for Hopkinton Schools, trustee of New Hampshire College, predecessor to Southern New Hampshire University, and employed his aptitude for acoustics by audio recording Hopkinton elementary and high school band and chorus concerts. He and Barbara enjoyed classical music and attended numerous performances all over the world (although he never did like opera). They endowed a chair at the Minnesota Orchestra as a lasting gift for their love of the orchestra.
John was an early adopter and enthusiast of technology. His home was his test lab, frequently creating electronic mayhem — some with great success, some not so much. He designed and installed a fully hard-wired intercom system in the house in Hopkinton in the late 1960s, embraced early motion-sensing lights and lights with varying spectrums, made hearing aids for his deaf father that amplified the range of sound he could hear, something no other hearing aid maker was doing at the time, and he adored his AR-3 speakers and playing E. Power Biggs' performance of Bach's Toccata & Fugue at full volume. Less successful experiments included a solar system to heat the pool — he installed the panels under a canopy of 100-year-old oak trees.
He was a disciple of Julia Child, passing his love for good food and good cooking to his children, and he was famous for his silver dollar pancakes. He had a great sense of humor, and dinner time was often a place where the latest "shaggy dog story" was presented. John was fluent in German and, by virtue of his parents being deaf, was also fluent in American Sign Language.
In 2010, John and Barbara relocated to Hamilton, Mont. In his later years, John enjoyed traveling, dabbling in stained glass and laser engraving.
John is predeceased by his wife, Barbara, in 2014; his parents, Mabel and John; his brother, Frank Philip Boatwright; and brother-in-law Leif Magnusson. John is survived by his sister-in-law, Charlotte Sibley; daughters Laurie Boatwright, Celeste Boatwright and her excellent birder partner Rich Del Carlo, and Jennifer Lint and her husband, Randy; and son Charles. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Elena "Ellie" Sibley Lint and Owen MacNeal Lint.
The family thanks the caregivers and the staff at the Beehive Homes Parker House in Hamilton, Mont. You made Dad's final months very comfortable and enjoyable.
Remembrances may be made to the Minnesota Orchestra, SDS 12-0458, P.O. Box 86, Minneapolis, MN 55486-0458 or the Better Together Animal Alliance animal shelter, 870 Kootenai Cutoff Road, Ponderay, ID 83852.
Cheers, Winston.