John "Jack" Peter Wareham

(August 12, 1941 - January 25, 2024)

Noted corporate leader and philanthropist John P. “Jack” Wareham passed away Thursday January 25, 2024 in Orange, California.

Born August 12, 1941 in Clinton, Iowa to Lyman and Ullainee (Pitts) Wareham, John Peter Wareham was named for his paternal and maternal grandfathers. He attended St. Mary’s High School in Clinton where he excelled in athletics, academics and the arts. He was recognized for academic excellence as well as leadership and his beautiful tenor voice was in demand for choral concerts, weddings and funerals.

Jack majored in pharmacy at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska graduating with multiple honors. He went on to study chemistry in graduate school at the University of Illinois Chicago and later earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Washington University in St.Louis, Missouri.

In Omaha, Jack met and fell in love with Lois Cecilia Robinson. They were married in 1965 and together they built an extraordinary life and extended family.

Jack worked with his father at Milo John Rexall Drugs in Clinton before working his way through business school as a pharmacist. From there, he was recruited by the pharmaceutical company Smith, Kline and French where he held various positions at the Philadelphia headquarters and at subsidiary and affiliated companies. In 1979, the family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska when Jack was promoted to the role of president at Norden Laboratories, a division of SmithKline.

Shortly after SmithKline acquired Orange County-based Beckman Instruments, Jack was asked to relocate his family to Southern California in order to lead the Diagnostic Systems Group for the company. His leadership and management skills proved vital to Beckman’s growth and, in 1993, he was named President and Chief Operating Officer.

As COO, Jack was the driving force behind the successful 1997 merger of Beckman Instruments with Coulter Corporation, the leading manufacturer of systems for blood and other cell analysis. In 1998, he was named CEO of the newly formed Beckman Coulter and, in 1999, became Chairman of the Board of Directors, as well. He held those positions until his retirement in 2005.

In “retirement”, Jack was an active member of multiple corporate boards including Accuray, Greatbatch, ResMed, Integer Holdings and Steris Corporation, where he served as Independent Chairman of the Board from 2005 to 2018.

Active and respected in the medical diagnostic equipment industry, Jack served as Chairman of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed). In 2017, the organization honored him with the fifth annual AdvaMed Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also honored as a distinguished alumnus of Creighton University and Washington University.

Locally, Jack served on the Advisory Boards of the John Henry Foundation, the University of California, Irvine Medical Center Advisory Board and the Bowers Museum. Jack was also a member of the Center for Corporate Innovation in Los Angeles.

The John P. and Lois C. Wareham Foundation supports research and scholarship at a range of institutions including Creighton University, Washington University and The University of California, Irvine Medical Center. Jack and Lois actively participated in the education of their children and grandchildren and they graciously extended financial support to many other family members and friends. They had an abiding interest in young people and an eagerness to mentor, as well, and their gifts of education have created a legacy that will endure for generations.

A remarkably accomplished and deeply loving man, Jack was predeceased by his wife Lois, his parents, two infant sons and his daughter-in-law Noelle (Schwartz) Wareham. He is survived by daughter Jackie (Craig) Hemke of Lenexa, Kansas and son Matt Wareham (Diana) of Tustin, California; granddaughters Sabrina Wareham of Austin, Texas, Madeline (Ryan) Hostetler of Lone Tree, Colorado and Samantha Hemke of Omaha, Nebraska; and by brothers Jim (Patricia) Wareham of Scottsdale, Arizona and Jerry (Anne) Wareham of Chagrin Falls Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that all memorial donations be directed to The Prince of Peace School Foundation. Please designate “Wareham” in the memo section and send checks to: 312 South 4th Street, Clinton, Iowa, 52732.