John P. Chivers

Arthur John Patten Chivers, 85, died suddenly on Tuesday September 3, 2019, at his home in Wentworth, NH.

He is survived by his loving wife Mary Dominick Chivers, children Elizabeth, John, Alexandra and Peter; grandchildren John, Peter, Daniel, Silas and Alicia; great grandchildren John Anthony, Angeliah and Autumn, 4 nephews, a niece and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Lucy Titus and Ann Stevens, and his son Nicholas.

John Chivers was born in Evanston, Illinois and grew up in Lawrenceville, NJ on the campus of the Lawrenceville School, where his father was a Dean and teacher of history. After graduating from Wesleyan University he earned a Masters in German from Middlebury College.

He began his teaching career at the Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts and was soon hired by nearby Phillips Academy in Andover, where he taught German for forty years. John was gifted with an ear for languages and music. He spoke German so well he was taken for a fellow German by native speakers. An exciting and dynamic teacher, he loved his job, and he sent many students into the world toward careers built around an extraordinary mastery of German.

John spearheaded a project to modernize the language lab at Phillips, led the first women's ice-hockey teams there to victory, and to this day receives grateful letters from former students.

In whatever John undertook, he strove for perfection. He was a life-long fisherman and an excellent marksman. In his 40's he took up flying and crossed the country in his Cessna 150. He learned from an early age to play by ear almost any stringed instrument, though the tenor banjo was his instrument of choice and he played professionally in many Dixieland bands in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

He will be remembered for his steadfast and loving presence in good times and bad by his family and friends, his creative intelligence, delightful wit, and inimitable sense of humor.

A service in his memory will be held on Sunday October 13, 2019 at 3:00 pm at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Plymouth, NH, with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in his name to Doctors Without Borders will be gratefully accepted.