John A Wills Jr.

To say that Jack was one of a kind would be an understatement. He lived life on his own terms, and he remained his own unique character right to the end. Those who knew him and loved him will never forget him. Jack was born March 14, 1938, in Massachusetts. He was the son of the late Evelyn (Walden) Wills and John A Wills. He was the youngest of 6 children and is predeceased by his sisters Evelyn, Helen, Ruth, and Dorothy. His sister, Marge, currently lives in Mystic, CT.

Jack grew up in Melrose, MA, where he played many sports and had a true love of football and hockey. He went to the University of Miami, Florida, where he played football and met his wife, Glory Ann Goss. He and Glory wed on April 14, 1961. After college, Jack graduated from Navy flight school as a Naval aviator. He proudly served his country until 1966 when he retired from active duty, became a pilot for Pan American, and moved his family to CT. After traveling the world with Pan Am and eventually Delta, Jack retired from the Naval reserves as a Captain and had been the Commanding Officer of Patrol Squadron (P3) at the Naval Air Station, South Weymouth, MA, in 1988 and from flying altogether in 2000.

Jack was raised on the Cape Cod shoreline with a love for the water, wind, and boats. The wind is something that Jack innately understood, and it played a huge role in his life. Jack first learned about wind through flight, and he took that knowledge and built a life. When he learned to sail, he took that knowledge and used it as a way to live his life. This started in 1975 when he bought his first sailboat and started sailing the coast of New England with his family. Pretty quickly, Jack’s competitive spirit drove him to add sailboat racing to his and his family's lives. Jack, Glory, his children, nephews, and friends became the Jet Stream racing crew. A lot of learning, fun, and, quite possibly, some yelling went along with this process. The Jet Stream crew steadily improved and became one of the best racing teams in southeastern CT.

Jack belonged to multiple yacht clubs over the years, but was never more proud than when he became a member of The Cruising Club of America where he became the Rear Commodore of the Florida Station. He and Glory made great friends in the Cruising Club and went on numerous cruises. If you know Jack, then you know he also absolutely loved the free moorings that came with this membership!

Jack and Glory mainly raised their 2 children in Old Lyme, CT. When Jack was not traveling, he attended as many of his children’s sports games and school events as he could. Jack always participated (you could say dominated) in the Coult Lane kids’ sport challenges and was seen as the pied piper of the neighborhood. His quick wit either endeared or scared (likely both) all he came across. He loved family activities, and he gave his children a love of the mountains and skiing at a very young age. The memories of family ski and sail vacations will be forever in our hearts. Later in life, Jack continued his reign as the pied piper of fun with his grandchildren. Jack’s greatest joy was watching his grandchildren grow up, and he loved nothing more than when they came down to visit him in Florida. He never missed an opportunity to get involved with whatever they were doing which included teaching them to swim. Of course, “teach” meant throwing them in the water and telling them to swim to the ladder. Thankfully, there were no casualties, and everyone passed Jack’s swim lessons. His way was never orthodox, but somehow it always worked. This is why we all adored him.

Jack is survived by his son, John A Wills III (Amy), his 2 sons, Oliver and Ethan (Nina), his daughter Holly Lynn Wills, her husband, Rich, and her children, Cooper, Callie, Dakota and stepsons, Ross and Tucker. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and their families whom he loved, spent lots of time with, and treated as his own. This included sailboat races, golf cart rides, and the ultimate fun time of cleaning the bottom of the boat! Whenever Jack was involved in anything, he acted in his unique and special way which was always with love. Jack and his humor will be deeply missed by all who loved him.

A Celebration of life will be held at the Santa Lucia River Club, Port Saint Lucie, Florida, on May 11, 2024, from 3-7pm. Another private celebration will be held in CT during the summer months when Jack will be returned to the sea. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at https://act.alz.org.