John Christian Christlieb

A longtime resident of Palm Beach, John died suddenly of a heart attack on June 24, 2020 at his Florida home — the day before he was to fly back to his beloved estate on the West Coast of Scotland.

Palm Beach will remember John for his fascinating life stories. He was an entrepreneur, yachtsman, pilot, and traveler. John visited every state in the United States, and over 140 countries. He even ran a half-marathon on Ascension Island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

John was married to Etonella for 46 years. Etonella is known as one of the most active chairwomen in Palm Beach. Whenever John was in town, he would help to make the fundraisers she chaired a great success.

They spent their time between Palm Beach (Florida), Vlissingen (The Netherlands) and Melfort (Scotland). John and Etonella began cruising the world after John became disabled. John was happiest when he was at sea.

John was born in London, England, on July 29, 1933, the only son of Andrew and Janet Christlieb. He was educated at Dulwich College. Upon graduation, he served as a pilot and officer in the Royal Air Force Regiment during his National Service. John was chosen to be the color officer at the Air Force Regiment to present at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953.

When his service ended, he joined his father’s company, A.C. Christlieb Ltd. in 1954. The import company was headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, with branches along the West Coast of Africa.

After his father passed on, John started the Christlieb Group. He changed from the import business to building sweets factories for Trebor, a plastic factory and one making Vaseline products. It also made products for Max Factor, Beecham, Thermos, and a few others. The company was also the agents for Heinz, Quaker Oats, Coffee-Mate, Carnation, Nugget shoe polish and more. John then started a shipping company (Tradelines), printing companies, a transportation company, two car agencies and garages, travels agencies and more.

There was never a dull moment in John’s life. In the last two years in Lagos, he built a 11-story condominium. He created jobs for more than 1200 people. His motto: “We believe that business is fun, and we tend to move away from situations which take the fun out of business.” John was a firm believer that business needed to be fun and exciting. He was a member of the prestigious United Kingdom’s Institute of Directors.

After selling the company in 1983, John retired at age 50, only to become a shareholder in the yacht brokerage, Camper & Nicholsons, which led him to begin a new career as a yacht designer and builder.

Following a few trips around the world, John and Etonella celebrated “retirement” by developing an estate into an award-winning restaurant and resort in Melfort, Scotland catering to disabled guests. The accessible accommodations were the result of John’s disability and realizing handicap individuals vacationed, too. The resort was honored with the Leonard Cheshire Award recognizing commitments to the disabled.

Among his many involvements, John proudly served in leadership posts within RAF (Royal Air Force) Club in London, The Circumnavigation Club of Palm Beach, and The Warbirds of Hangar III Club. He was founder of Aero Club of Nigeria. John was also a member of the Royal Ocean Club, Lagos Yacht Club, The Beach Club, Club Collette and many others.

John was always fixated on his next project. His spirit was warm and caring. Many of his brightest moments were time spent with Etonella and his family. They included his beloved daughters: Debra Jane (Chris) Meadows of Cork, Ireland; Victoria Armanda (Derek) Linch of Ashford, United Kingdom; and Ejola Marie (Paul) Cook of Coral Springs, Florida. Also, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Dagmar, Debra, Justin, Sarah, Mackenzie, Mackayla, Lawson, Mackenna, Jack and Zach; and his four sisters, Cecily, Monica, Barbara and Anna.

A memorial service for John is planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in John’s memory to the American Heart Association, 2300 Centrepark West Drive, West Palm Beach, FL 33409.