St. John Bain

1926 - 2019

St. John Bain

Cincinnati - St. John Bain, age 92, passed away on February 5, 2019. He was the beloved husband of Gay Bain for 63 years; a loving father to St. John H. "Sinjin" Bain (Clare), Peter L. Bain (Millicent), and Jordan R. Bain (Anne); grandfather to Charlotte Giardini (Eric), Crosby Bain (Emma), Willoughby Laycock (Steve), Ian Bain, Abby Francis, McLean Francis, Julianne Hall (Michael), Michael Bain, Catherine Bain, Spencer Bain, Carrie Cohen, Griffin Solot-Kehl, and Tess Solot-Kehl; and great-grandfather to Wilder Francis Laycock and Olivia Gail Giardini. He was preceded in death by his parents Claude and Margaret Bain, his step-father George Mott Lanning and his brother Claude Bain, Jr. St. John ("Saint") Bain was born October 7, 1926 in Norfolk, VA. He graduated from the Woodberry Forest School in 1944 and promptly enlisted in the United States Navy at age 17. He was the only non-college student selected to participate in the "Eddy" sonar and radar research program, where he trained at the Great Lakes Naval Center and then was stationed during the war at the Washington Naval Laboratories. Upon honorable discharge from the Navy, Mr. Bain attended the University of Virginia and received his Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He relocated to Cincinnati to begin what became a successful 35-year career with the Formica Corporation. In Cincinnati, he met Gail ("Gay") Seybolt on the courts of the Cincinnati Tennis Club, where he later served as President. He and Gay were wed in 1956, and shared a fun-filled and loving 63-year marriage. Mr. Bain was an extremely talented racquets player, both in tennis, where his record of doubles championships at the Camargo Club has yet to be broken, and in paddle tennis, where, with his long-time partner Bill Schneebeck, he was a two-time national champion and a two-time national finalist as a senior. Above all, Mr. Bain was beloved by his wife, his family, and his friends. He was deeply moral, warm and kind, and he possessed an irrepressible sense of humor. He adored his wife, his family, his friends, his sports and his crossword puzzles; and he brightened every space he entered with his familiar greeting of "Hello Sports fans!" in his classic Virginia gentleman drawl. Memorial services will be held on March 16, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at the Indian Hill Church, 6000 Drake Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45243. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be directed to The Woodberry Forest School, 898 Woodberry Forest Rd., Woodberry Forest, VA 22989; Seven Hills School, 5400 Red Bank Rd., Cincinnati OH 45227; or a charity of your choice. Spring Grove Funeral Homes Elden Good is in charge of arrangements, www.springgrove.org.