John Phillip Diamond

1936 - 2024

John Phillip Diamond

June 9, 1936 - May 4, 2024

Hilton Head Island , South Carolina - John Phillip Diamond of Hilton Head Island died May 4, 2024. He was born in St. Clair, Michigan to his parents Margaret & Horace Diamond, and reared in Chicago, IL. After high school, John attended Cornell University on academic scholarship graduating in 1959 with a master's degree in mechanical engineering. He worked for TRW (Cleveland, Ohio) for five years as a project engineer & contract administrator while attending Cleveland Marshall Law School; he received his law degree there in 1964. John was hired by Booz, Allen, Hamilton (Cleveland office) in 1966.

He met Nancy (Tuggle) in 1976, and they were married in 1977. During his career with BAH, John and Nancy lived in the following cities where John was the senior partner---Cleveland, OH; Caracas, Venezuela; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Dallas, TX; Tokyo, Japan, and Sydney, Australia.

In 1990, John retired from BAH, and he and Nancy moved to Long Cove Club on Hilton Head Island. For the next six years, John consulted part time with BAH in Brazil. In retirement, John was treasurer of the Long Cove Board, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, and the Hilton Head Art League. He also served on Long Cove Club's ARB & Beaufort County's ATAX Committee. In his leisure, John spent many hours enjoying golf & playing gin rummy with Long Cove buddies, traveling extensively with his wife and friends, playing bridge, reading the WSJ, and following the stock market.

He also developed an interest in wood turning, which he learned from dear friend, Gen. Fred Dean (dec'd). A perfectionist, John spent many hours daily woodworking in his home's shop. Over the years, he displayed his vessels and bowls in art galleries on Hilton Head, and in Savannah, Bluffton, and as far afield as the Kohler Museum in Kohler, WI. At the end of a busy day, John could always be found enjoying a vodka gimlet with Nancy as they discussed the day's activities.

In 2018, John and Nancy moved to the Bay Club at The Cypress in Hilton Head Plantation. Here, his new sport was croquet. He also served on Cypress' Finance Committee until he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2020. He moved to The Dogwood---Cypress' memory care unit---in 2022.

John's devotion to his wife was the most important thing in his life. He repeated numerous times to family and friends, "the two best days of my life were the day I met Nancy and the day I married her." He is survived by his loving wife Nancy; his

children from a previous marriage, Christiana Diamond and Bret Diamond; his brother Steve (Peggy) Diamond; and sister-in-law Carol Diamond (Bill, dec'd).

A celebration of John's life will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 540 Wm. Hilton Pkwy., HHI, SC 29928 on Thursday, May 30 at 2:00 p.m., with a reception following at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John's memory to the Art League of Hilton Head (14 Shelter Cove Lane, HHI, SC, 29928), or to Alzheimer's Research & Prevention Foundation (P. O. Box 30783, Tucson, AZ, 85751).

We are grateful for the excellent care of the staff of The Cypress' Dogwood wing, and Hospice Care of the Lowcountry. Also, we appreciate the help and compassion of The First Presbyterian Church and the Island Funeral Home and Crematory.