John William Will Sr.

John W. Will, 90, of Fairfax, VA passed away Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at his home. Born May 15, 1933 in St. Louis, Missouri, he has resided in northern Virginia since the early 1960's. John is survived by his wife, Lynn; son, John, Jr. (mother Barbara); daughter-in-law, Melody; grandson, John III and granddaughter, Morgan; stepsons, Scott Smith (Veronica), and Steven Smith (Cassie), and their children Connor and Adrian.

John graduated from Washington University, St. Louis in 1959 with a degree in Industrial Engineering. He then came to Virginia to accept a patent examiner position with the USPTO. He retired from the USPTO in 1992 as Director of the Mechanical Classification Division. During his career, he won many awards for his work at the USPTO and lectured extensively about the U.S. patent classification system at many locations including various USPTO Patent & Trademark Depository Libraries and the Korean Patent Office in 1983.

He donated his time when his son was young helping coach baseball and soccer, and was an intense Washington Redskins fan.

John was a proud member of Phi Delta Theta. He kept in touch with his many of his brothers, and attended their reunions throughout the years in St. Louis.

He was also a member of the Little Theater of Alexandria where he performed in dramatic and musical productions as well as serving in various administrative positions, including President.

In retirement, he and wife Lynn were blessed with being able to travel to many countries in Europe and the Caribbean. Their most interesting trip was a cruise from St. Petersburg, Russia to Moscow. Their most beautiful trip was in northern Italy, including the lake district and into southern Switzerland. He was well-loved and will be missed by all of us.