John was born in Washington, D.C. on September 11, 1941 to W. Philip Churchill and Marion Comly Churchill. Following a sterling athletic (football, pole vaulting, diving, golf) and academic (honor society) career at Briarcliff High School in Briarcliff Manor NY, he matriculated to Williams College in Williamstown, MA where he was president of the freshman class, Kappa Alpha fraternity, sang with the acapella group the Ephlats, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry.
After graduating from Williams in 1963, John received an MBA from New York University (1965) and was employed by Arthur Young (now Ernst and Young). In 1963, John married his high school sweetheart, Robbin Alabaster and they had three children, Craig, Karel, and Tyler.
In 1970, John and family were transferred to Tokyo, Japan where he was responsible for clients in Japan and was the managing partner in Seoul, Korea. After three years, John was promoted to audit partner and the family moved to Atlanta, GA and then, in 1978 to Jacksonville, FL. In 1982, the family was relocated to Sydney, Australia, a place they called home for nine years. When Arthur Young wanted John to return to the U.S., he changed careers to stay in Sydney where he was the president of the American Club and cherished his time at the Australian Golf Club.
John and Robbin returned to Atlanta in 1991 to be closer to parents and adult children. John worked as a consultant in executive search, turn around management and financial restructuring, under the auspices of Amrop International and the Interlochen Group. The couple retired to St. Simons, GA in 2017.
A devoted husband and father, John’s greatest love was his family and the time spent together – international Christmas vacations were a highlight. He loved to travel, sing, play golf and pursue his passion for Sudoku.
John is survived by his wife of 56 years, Robbin, his brother Bill (Janet) and his children Craig (Sarah), Karel, Tyler (Roger) and his grandchildren Peter, Zachary, Lydia, Skyler, William and Spencer. The family will hold a celebration of John’s life later this year, once it is safe to organize large gatherings.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in John’s name to Cystic Fibrosis -Northern New England -Vermont Chapter at 114 Perimeter Rd. Nashua, NH 03063 (https://www.cff.org/give-today/ ) or to the scholarship fund of Camp Dudley/ Kiniya 126 Dudley Rd. Westport, NY 12993 (https://www.campdudley.org/givenow/ ).
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