John F. Townsend

1929 - 2019

The artist John F. Townsend passed away on June 24, 2019 in Hadley, Massachusetts. He was 90 Years old.

The middle of three children, he was born John Fletcher Townsend on March 11, 1929 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin to Dr. Eugene Herbert Townsend and his wife, Lillian (Johnson), a registered nurse. He idolized his older sister, Mary Ellen, and was a devoted role-model for his younger brother, Allan.

John grew up exploring the banks of the Mississippi River and hiking the Grandad Bluffs overlooking the City of LaCrosse and the Mississippi Valley, where he learned to swim, boat, fish, and hunt.

In 9th grade, John grew six inches. At 6'6" and a natural athlete, John played basketball in high school and later at Carroll College (now Carroll University).

While in college, John met his future wife, Peggy (Lehmann), at a party in Minneapolis. He often told the story of leaving the house one night and telling his father that he had 'a date with a girl from Onalaska who's Dad was a dentist.' His father said, "Who, Peggy? I brought her into this world."

After receiving his Bachelor's degree in 1950, John enlisted in the Air Force, serving three years stateside as a payroll clerk during the Korean War. During that time, John and Peggy were engaged and married in 1953.

After his discharge from the Air Force, John pursued his interest in art, receiving his MFA from the University of Minnesota in 1957. He then taught at the University of New Mexico before being hired in 1960 by the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, where he was one of the first three hires tasked with developing the Art Department.

It was in the 1960's that he began exploring Optical Art dealing with light and shadow. He received wide attention with several series of large wall-reliefs, first made from white-painted wood, then later with opaque white plexiglass - exhibiting throughout the decade at galleries in Boston and New York as well as appearing in articles and art books.

From the 60s to the 90s, John's series ranged from sculpture, ink on paper collage, large wall-reliefs, sand-blasted black-plexiglass, small-scale figurative bronze sculpture, and abstract geometric and textural color-field painting.

After his official retirement from UMass/Amherst in the mid-90s, John continued to teach in the department he'd helped build into an internationally-renowned program.

Ultimately, the project that John considered his crowning achievement was the UMass Minuteman Sculpture commissioned in 2001. It was his first large-scale figurative sculpture, drawing on all his skills, and resulting in the nine-and-a-half-foot-tall bronze statue completed and installed in 2002 between the Campus Pond and Old Chapel.

John continued with small-scale sculpture, painting and collage-work well into his 80s and had returned to geometric layouts in his last years.

A lover of animals, birds, and wildlife, John expressed a deep and meaningful satisfaction with the woods and pond behind his Amherst home where he was able to stay until health issues required a nursing facility the last few months. He passed away on June 24th, 2019 in Hadley, Massachusetts.

He is survived by his brother Rev. Allan Townsend (wife Carla), son Eric Townsend, daughter Dana Townsend (husband Daniel O'Brien), grandchildren Kira and John, nieces Sue-Ann, Jane, and Karen, and nephews Peter and John. His wife Peggy passed away on October 19, 2019.

A Celebration-Of-Life will likely be announced in the Spring.