Obituary of John Howard DuBois, Sr.

John Howard DuBois, Sr. of Baldwinsville, NY passed away on April 12, 2016 at his home comforted by his wife. He was the beloved husband of Martha Hamlin Loveless DuBois, to whom he was married for 30 years. Born in New York City on Sept. 19, 1926 and raised in Maywood, New Jersey, he was the only child of the late Howard and Kathryn Phillips DuBois. John served honorably during WWll in the US Navy for 2 years in the Mariana and Marshall lslands as Seaman First Class, Gunner Mate. He received the Asiatic Pacific Medal, the American Theater Medal, and the Victory Medal. Following his service, he attended college at UMass Amherst where he played football as a running back. He graduated in 1950 with a BS in Animal Husbandry. He was employed at Eastern States Farmer's Exchange and Agway his entire career of 41 years in management and sales positions. John was married to Helen Tenero DuBois for 33 years from 1951 until her passing in 1984. Together they raised 3 children and lived in a number of states including ME, PA, VT, MA, DE, and NY. The moves were related to John's employment. John was a man of strong faith. He was a certified Methodist lay speaker and preached at over 30 churches throughout his adult life. He served on every committee there was at one time or another. He used to say he always wanted to be a farmer or a minister so working at Agway and being a lay leader was a perfect compromise. John enjoyed playing the accordion, writing music, and performing at school, church, and community events. He loved attending and listening to opera and classical music. He was passionate about gardening and had a reputation for growing beautiful roses and lots of them. He grew enough vegetables and had enough fruit trees to feed the entire neighborhood. John loved to play golf and was known to conveniently have his clubs in the trunk just in case he needed them. He also enjoyed reading and watching sports and was an avid Yankees fan. As a young man, he went to many Yankees games at the "House that Ruth built" and got to see a lot of the greats of his era, including Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio. John had a great mind for business and one of his hobbies during retirement was dabbling in the stock market. He and Martha were known for their generosity and sharing their knowledge of the market with their 14 grandchildren. ln addition to his wife Martha, he is survived by 3 children: Carol DuBois Esthimer and husband Keith of Franklin, MA, John H. DuBois, Jr. and partner Lyn Gardner of Kingston Upon Thames, England, and Nancy DuBois Marshall and husband Peter of Maynard, MA, and 6 grandchildren Katelyn Esthimer, Jared Marshall, Eleanor DuBois, Wesley Esthimer, Elizabeth Marshall, and lsabelle DuBois. He is also survived by Martha's children: Marty (Janet) Loveless of Auburn, NY, Nancy (Will) Luke of Baldwinsville, NY, Jill (Jim) Quinn of Baldwinsville, NY and Andy (Karen) Loveless of Baldwinsville, NY and grandchildren Elizabeth Watson, Heather Domina, Melissa Harp, Matthew Loveless, Brian Luke, Stephen Quinn, Maureen Velasco, and Lisa Quinn and 6 great grandchildren. John was openly welcomed into their lives and we are forever grateful for their love. Calling Hours will be held on April 22, 2016 from 12pm – 2pm with a funeral service to follow at 2pm at the First United Methodist Church in Baldwinsville. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the First United Methodist Church 17 West Genesee St., Baldwinsville, NY 13027.