JOHN MILLIGAN WINSOR

1926 - 2014

WINSOR, John Milligan Of Richmond, VA, died peacefully in his sleep on September 11, 2014. The son of Alexander and E. Hope Bancroft Winsor, he was born May 16, 1926, in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up with his three brothers and one sister in Weston. He attended Middlesex School (class of 44). He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and spent his war years in the Pacific theater. Upon return, he married Anne Edwards and raised their family in Weston. He began his retailing career at Jordan Marsh Company in Boston. In 1965 he married Dorothy Mogan and moved to Richmond, Virginia, where he joined the former Miller and Rhoads Department Store as a merchandise executive. In 1976 he founded The Great Big Greenhouse and Nursery and retired in 2010. Despite not knowing anything about plants, he was able to build a respected retail horticultural business through the talent and hard work of a devoted staff. John thought the world of people he worked with, they were his second family. Throughout his life, even as a young boy, John's love of sailing and being on the water were part of who he was. He lived for those moments, arriving at his beloved Rocky Island every summer with his wife and numerous dogs. He was a devoted father and proud American. The raising and lowering of the flag was a humbling moment of everyday. John will be remembered for his sense of humor which lasted throughout his life. The family is forever grateful to all of his caregivers and friends who gave John love and care in the last years of his life. John is predeceased by his wife Dorothy, his son John Milligan Winsor Jr, and his grandson Ian Hooker Bates. He is survived by his daughters Grace Bates of Aurora, NY, Amy Burnes and her husband Andrew of So Dartmouth, MA, Meg Watson and her husband Rob of Richmond, VA, his son Richard Winsor and his partner Stephen Rotondaro of NYC and Hillsdale, NY, their sister Molly Sperduto and her husband Dan of Canterbury, NH, 8 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren, his brother Philip Winsor and his wife Marion of State College, PA and numerous nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2014, at 3 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond, 1000 Blanton Avenue in Richmond, VA. John will be buried in Cataumet, MA in the spring, at which time there will be a small gathering. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be sent to the Bourne Conservation Trust, P.O. Box 203, Cataumet, MA 02534, or a charity of your choice.