John O. Monks

John O. Monks
July 6, 1930 - March 30, 2024
John Monks, 93, of North Andover, MA, passed away peacefully late on Saturday, March 30th, 2024.
Born on July 6, 1930, in Orange, Connecticut, to Leroy and Hazel Monks, John was the youngest of three children, including his brother, Stiles, and sister, Nancy. John had a rather idyllic upbringing. He was raised in a close family by loving parents and had many friends. In high school, he attended Hebron Academy in Maine and then went on to college, spending two years at Cornell University and graduating from Vanderbilt College in 1952 with a major in business and economics.
In 1953, he was drafted and served two years in the U.S. Army, stationed in Korea. Upon his return, he had a successful career in banking, initially working for People's United Bank. While there, he attended the graduate school at Brown University. He went on to work for Chase Bank, Gateway Bank, and Sterling Capital Mortgage Company. In 1974, he married Carolyn Tucker, and they raised their three children together in Westport, Connecticut. He cared deeply for the town of Westport, where he served as president of the Chamber of Commerce, coached his children's sports teams, and was an active member of the Westport Public Library board of trustees. John was passionate about several things in life: the game of tennis, European history, and languages. In his free time, he dedicated himself to these passions and built lifelong friendships with the people he met pursuing his interests.
In 2001, he met and fell in love with Linda Francis; they married in 2004. Together, they enjoyed travel, entertaining with friends, attending movies and theatrical productions, and especially family gatherings.
Family was of the utmost importance to John, and he was a devoted father to his three children, Max, Anne, and John, Jr. Each year, he looked forward to a weeklong gathering on Block Island with his kids, grandchildren, sister, nieces, and nephews. Even as his health deteriorated, he made the trek to Scotch Beach to put his toes in the sand.
John was a true extrovert who loved being with people. In his final days at Edgewood Retirement Community, this was made clear by the outpouring of love and support that came from his many friends. He was quick with a kind word, a funny joke, and was famous for his sidelong glances. He sought out the best in others and made friends everywhere he went. To him, every get-together was "a party."
John is survived by his loving wife, Linda Francis, his son, Max Monks, and daughter-in-law, Raena Monks of Loveland, Ohio, his daughter and son-in-law, Anne and Bo Babcock of Hamilton, MA, and his son, John Monks, Jr. of Denver, CO. He will be greatly missed by his beloved granddaughters, Emerson, Adeline, Maiselle, Molly, Emma, Posey, and Collette.
His best friend and sister, Nancy Wheeler, of Branford, Connecticut, passed away six years ago; and we find great comfort in imagining the two of them reunited and holding court, surrounded by love, laughter, and an ocean view.
A private burial and celebration of life will take place in Connecticut later this month; and a memorial service is planned for his community of friends at Edgewood.