John Charles French III, 93, of West Hartford, CT, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Saturday, May 21, 2022. “Jack” to his friends (and “Papa” to the grandchildren who adored him), John was the son of the late John Charles French, Jr. and Helen (Campbell) French of Burlington, Vermont. A true New Englander, John was born and raised in Vermont, spent his married and retired life in Connecticut with his beloved late wife Pamela Farnsworth French of 63 years, and circled back to Massachusetts where his own parents had met to be close to his daughter late in life. Voted “Class Optimist,” he believed to the end that things would turn out well for himself and those he cared about and often said “just call me lucky.” John also had a rare gift for making those around him feel he cared about them and making them smile, whether close family or someone he had just met, and was dearly loved by many in return. John graduated from Burlington High School and Springfield College and, following service in the United States Army in the Korean War, spent a long career at the Traveler’s Insurance Company. But what he enjoyed most was spending time with friends and family, gathering them when he could in a rustic mountain home in Belvidere, Vermont that had been restored by his architect father, and the company of his wife Pam, to whom his devotion knew no bounds. John was a longtime member of Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford, CT, active in the Elks Club of Hartford, and (perhaps unsurprisingly as the grandson of a railroad man) a member of The National Railway Historical Society. John is survived by his two children, John C. French IV (Joan Bricker) of Jericho, VT and Pamela Kromm (Randall Kromm) of Winchester, MA, and leaves six grandchildren (Diana, John, Emma, Grace, Camille, and Matthew) and two great-grandchildren (Noelle and Julia). John was laid to rest next to his beloved wife in a graveside ceremony at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, CT. A Celebration of Life for family and friends will be held during the summer.