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John Child Obituary
Born Allentown PA, he was the son of John B. Child and Henrietta (Hess) Child formerly of Oak Bluffs, MA. John was a carpenter and a master plumber. He retired from the Town of Tisbury. He was active in the First Baptist Church of Vineyard Haven.
John is survived by his beloved wife Martha Mosher Child of Tisbury, MA; his daughter Lori-Ann Child of Spring City, TN; daughter Amy and her husband Ray Goodwin of Onset, MA; son Thomas F. Child and his wife Celene Wong of Brookline, MA; and grandchildren Michael, Nicholas, Morgan, Abby, and Jacob.
He is also survived by his sister Barbara and her husband Jules Ben David of Oak Bluffs, MA and his sister Kate B. Child of New Bern, NC; as well as nieces, nephews, many cousins and dear friends.
Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers please make donations to MV Center for Living at www.mvcenter4living.org/donate/ or mailed to Martha's Vineyard Center for Living, PO Box 1729 Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.
For online guestbook and directions please visit www.chapmanfuneral.com.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
2 Entries
Stefan Bedetti
May 22, 2024
John, or the Dutchman, as Bill and I affectionately called him, was a uniquely gifted man. He was practical by nature. He drove a slant six Dodge Dart and drank tea from a Stanley thermos painted yellow. He was proud of the house on Main Street in Wareham he had renovated for his wife and three children. He was a doer and built a skiff on the back porch of my winter rental on Crommesett Point and brought Bill and I scalloping. Most importantly, his common sense kept me from realizing my potential as a fool.
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William Mac Curtain
May 20, 2024
First of all I would like to thank John's children for enabling me to reconnect with your beloved father. He and I shared a great long lost, but never forgotten comraderie. He had a unique insight into the human condition which never failed to both amuse and enlighten me. When we started exchanging old stories we both laughed joyously at our former ignorance and naivety. Your dad saved my sorry posterior on many occasions and I afforded him equal hilarity by simply being a city boy who didn't know an anvil from a mushroom anchor. I'll always remember how I would seek his help fixing something and he would invariably ask me how much money I had, knowing full well that I was chronically broke, and that he would be obliged to help me jury rig it. He'd smile and chuckle at my predicament and then graciously bail my bacon out. Over the last month he never failed to mention how his kids came to his aid as he had come to mine. It must be something in the family gene pool: generosity of spirit and compassion towards others . I was blessed to have shared his benevolence and companionship and I just wanted his kids to know that this city boy will never forget him. I share my prayers an condolences with all of you Bill and Denise Mac Curtain
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