Obituary of John A. Ford

John A. Ford, 80, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, April 21, 2021.

Born in Cheltenham, England, he was the son of the late Arthur Ford and the late Beryl Tozer Ford Calder. John had a rich life, having traveled across four continents and lived in England, France, Belgium, and eventually settled in New York.

He wore many hats throughout a varied career, from selling furniture in Paris, to playing the organ in many churches, to eventually working for and retiring from The Blackstone Group in New York City as Director of Corporate Communications in 2008.

John was known as a genuine, loving, and funny man who always had a kind word to share or a dry joke to tell. He had a passion for music and was often found playing the piano at home or at church. He also had a love for learning and a love for history, which led him to become a tour guide at West Point after retiring. (Some of his personal favorite jokes came from the irony of being the British tour guide at the United States Military Academy.)

He is survived by his beloved wife of 31 years, Shelagh; children Caroline Hadden-Wight (James), Nicola Huggett (Paul), James Ford and Shona Ford; siblings Malcolm Calder, Ian Calder (Penny), Angela Rogers and the late David Ford (Helen); grandchildren Joshua Huggett, Ethan Huggett, Harry Hadden-Wight, Oliver Hadden-Wight and Jodi Huggett; and is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

Services will be private at the convenience of the family with burial to be held at a later date in John’s home country of England.

In lieu of flowers John requested donations in his memory to the IPF Foundation or the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

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