John A. Sawyer, Jr., 86, of Webster MA, passed away peacefully Thursday, November 20, 2025 at Saint Vincent Hospital. He was surrounded by his wife, children, and grandchildren.
He leaves his wife of 66 years, Jacquelyn (Roper) Sawyer (Jackie); a daughter, Jacquelyn Denise Sawyer (Denise) of Woodstock, CT; a son, Stephen Lee Sawyer and his wife Shari of Rocky Point, NC; 7 grandchildren, Jesse Sawyer and his wife Eileen, Joseph Sawyer and his wife Anna, Oliver Lucas and their husband Bryant, John L. Ortiz Sawyer and his wife Aimee, Dylan Sawyer, Mariah Sawyer, and Meagan Sawyer; 2 sisters, Millicent Ann Owens and her husband Marshall of Elizabeth City, NC, and Mary Evelyn Hopkins and her husband Norman of Palm Beach Gardens, FL; and several great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his infant son John Alfred Sawyer III, and by his brother Dennis Robert Sawyer and his wife Carolyn.
John was born on September 30, 1939 in Elizabeth City, NC, son of John A. Sawyer, Sr. and Evelyn (Skiles) Sawyer and graduated from Elizabeth City High School in 1957 where he played cornet in the high school band. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and not long after met the love of his life, Jackie, whom he married in 1959 and doted upon for 66 years of loving marriage until his death. Together, they raised two wonderful children, Denise and Stephen.
John’s Marine Corps career, spanning over twenty years until his retirement as a major in 1984, instilled in him a sense of honor, courage, and commitment that he carried with him throughout his life – values he also imparted to his children and grandchildren. His service to his country took him from Quantico to the Pentagon, Vietnam, California, Italy, and Okinawa. In California, he continued to pursue his love of music as a member of the Vista Vocalaires – a Barbershop Singing Quartet. During his time overseas, John was genuinely interested and curious about the people and cultures he encountered, eager to ask questions, try new experiences, and attempt to speak the local language – something he insisted on as an important act of connection and respect. Always gregarious, he exuded warmth and welcome to everyone he met.
After his retirement from the Marine Corps, John and Jackie settled in Westborough MA where John experienced the joys of becoming a grandfather (affectionately known as Pop) and embarked on a second career in engineering, a job with a steep learning curve, but one that he took to and excelled at before retiring as a senior engineering manager working on the development of C4 systems at General Dynamics in Needham in 2007. After retirement and not long after relocating to Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg in Webster MA, John dedicated his free time to learning the piano, captaining his pontoon boat, and volunteering at the Literacy Volunteers of South Central Massachusetts where he tutored students in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and helped to prepare them for the Citizenship Test.
Above all else, throughout John’s life, his first priority was always his family – providing for them, supporting them, and making memories with them. Three subsequent generations were lucky enough to get to know this incredible man – his deep and unwavering love, his insatiable curiosity, and his remarkable zest for life and all its adventures, qualities which he maintained to the very end. We carry his memory with us.
A celebration of John’s life will be held privately. A 33rd degree mason, he was the past master of the Masonic Lodge in Okinawa. He was very involved and supportive of Shriners Hospitals. For this reason, donations in John’s memory may be made to either Shriners Hospitals for Children, 2900 N. Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607 or to the Masonic Home for Children, 600 College Street, Oxford, NC 27565. Arrangements are under the direction of Sitkowski, Malboeuf & Hickey Funeral Home, 340 School Street, Webster.