John Webster

John Webster, age 72, of Dennisport, MA, and Jupiter, FL, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on January 30th. John was the beloved husband of Nilva Dobrovolsqui Alves and a loving brother of Chris Kochem (Bob) of Belmont, MA, Bob (Sandra) of Sagamore Beach, MA, and Tom of Maysville, NC and brother-in-law of Nizeti D. Alves, of Jussara, PR, Brazil. John was the proud uncle of Eric, Cheryl, Tom, Melinda, Jason, Kelley, Katie, and seven great nieces/nephews. He was the devoted son of the late Sandra and Charles Webster and son-in-law of Agnaldo Souza Alves and the late Cristina D. Alves. John was the much-loved nephew of Angie Pinnone, James Dragone, and the late Frank Dragone, Albert Dragone, and Mary Pierni. One of 19 first cousins, John cherished his many wonderful memories of growing up with them. John also had a lifelong love of dogs and had a huge soft spot in his heart for Jeremiah, Reno, Omar, Buzzy, and Pepe.

John and his twin brother, Bob, were born in Cambridge and grew up in Watertown, attending Watertown schools and graduating with the Class of 1971. John worked for Horn Packaging for a number of years and then began working in construction. He earned a variety of construction licenses and was very proud to be a licensed general contractor. He founded WebTech, a carpentry business, in the early 1990s. John was able to build or repair just about anything so, in 2000, he founded JA Enterprises and began buying and renovating properties. He could look at a house and, in his head, envision what to do to improve and enhance it and then would get started on the project. Recently, during his treatments, John oversaw a gut renovation of a property in East Dennis, transforming it from an eyesore to the nicest house on the street.

John’s love for family and friends was a testament to his big and generous heart. He showed up for the people who mattered to him and will always be remembered for his generosity, hard work, and deep love for his family and friends. He ended every call to family members with ‘I love you.’ John maintained lifelong friendships with some of his WHS classmates and treasured the memory of his 1972 cross country road trip with Rick Messenger for a month-long visit with Dana Fogg in Cupertino, California.

John loved to cook, especially with vegetables that he and Nilva grew in their 500 square foot vegetable garden. He would text photos showing the various steps that he and Nilva would take to prepare a couple dozen delicious baked stuffed eggplants and then drive to Watertown to deliver them to Aunt Angie and Uncle Jimmy and other family members.

John was happiest walking the beach, especially with Nilva and Jeremiah, his black and white rat terrier, in both West Dennis (his sunset photos were always beautiful) and in Jupiter, where he also made many new friends. John loved classic cars from his high school days and decided to buy a restored 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 442 Convertible. The car of his dreams needed to be picked up in Ontario, Canada so he and Dana drove John’s Ford pickup truck with a rented flatbed to upstate New York and went through customs into Canada to pick up his ‘new’ car. Just a week ago, John and Nilva were making plans to fly to Jupiter and have the car shipped there. John was so looking forward to taking Nilva and Jeremiah for drives with that convertible top down!

After a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in August of 2022, John, with his nephew, Tom, analyzed options and decided on a treatment plan. John fought fiercely through multiple rounds of chemo and radiation. When his original surgeon declined to operate because it was too risky, our cousin, Danny, suggested John consult Dr. Motaz Qadan at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Qadan successfully removed the tumor, giving John an additional 18 months with a good quality of life. John amazed his dedicated medical team, and all of us, by continuing to manage his business and properties during his treatments. He never complained and, day after day, with a smile on his face, kept putting one foot in front of the other, managing his many properties, spending time with Nilva, and taking Jeremiah for long walks on the beach as he, and all who loved him, hoped a cure would be found so we could all have the gift of many more years with John.

We would like to thank all who have reached out to us during this difficult time. Your stories about John and your words of love, comfort, and support are deeply appreciated and will always be remembered.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in John’s memory to the “Qadan Liver and Pancreas Research Fund”, fund 230899. Gifts can be made online at https://giving.massgeneral.org/ or mailed to the MGH Development Office, attention: Meagan Coons, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114. Checks payable to Mass General Hospital, please reference "John Webster tribute". Or, consider the Friends of Jupiter Beach, P.O. Box 791, Jupiter, FL 33468.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend visiting hours on February 8 from 10-11 am at Hyannis Portuguese Foursquare Church, 25 Lincoln Road, Hyannis, MA; funeral to immediately follow at 11 am. To share a memory or for online condolences, visit https://www.doanebealameshyannis.com/ (Doane Beal & Ames, Hyannis).