John Anthony Knox-Johnston was born on June 26, 1941 in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, and died aged 80 on October 20, 2021 in Montecito, California, with his beloved wife Beatrice (Sandy) by his side.

The son of Jeanne and Anthony Knox-Johnston, Secretary General of the East Africa High Commission in the 1960s, John’s early life was spent in Africa.

Aged eight, John went to Cargilfield school in Edinburgh and then to Rugby, where he entered Whitelaw in 1954. He excelled in rugby, cricket, hockey and athletics, and never lost his enthusiasm for these sports.

Good friend Mike Armstrong (W 54-59) remembers that John excelled at boxing, winning his weight on each of his first two years, and loved the game of Rugby Fives which he captained in his last year. Perhaps surprisingly, in view of his later thespian achievements, he had shown virtually no obvious interest in the stage at Rugby, apart from acting in a couple of house plays.

On leaving school in 1959, John joined Edward Lumley, Lloyd’s of London insurance brokers, and worked for them in London until 1973, when they transferred him to their office in New York. From there in 1983 that he was first introduced to Nantucket, where he worked with Heard Webster Insurance and then for Congdon and Coleman.

It Nantucket, he met Sandy Lovell whom he married 1984, and they formed a successful business partnership running the Corner House Inn on Center Street from 1982-2006. John was seen as ‘the impeccable English gentleman’, perfect as ‘front of house’, charming visitors with his wit, humour, and warmth.

Many Nantucketers will remember John even more fondly as a compelling actor. He performed in plays for several island theatre companies, and is particularly remembered for his roles in ‘Harvey’, ‘Faith Healer’, ‘Side by Side by Sondheim’, ‘Prelude to a Kiss’, and ‘A Swell Party’, which also travelled to Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, and in which John was praised for his role as the host and narrator.

However, the all-time favourite was his work in ‘The Seafarer’, and the absolutely brilliant performance John gave as the cranky blind drunk who plays poker with the devil for his soul.

John also continued to love rugby, golf, cricket, croquet and staying abreast of African politics and wildlife conservation. On Nantucket he served on the boards of PASCON, the Artists Association and on the vestry of St Paul’s Church. After he and Sandy had bought their house in Montecito, California, John also became involved with international medical relief missions in Kenya and Guatemala through Direct Relief in Santa Barbara. For this work, he was invested by Her Majesty Queen as an Officer in the Order of St John of Jerusalem.

John and Sandy also have a house in Burford, England not far from where we live, and this is where I got to know him best. We played golf together with Mike Armstrong (W 54-59), his Whitelaw contemporary, and even after John’s battles with cancer, he continued to play a competitive game and his spirits never flagged. John and Sandy were very active in the Burford community, and there too he is remembered for his kindness and courtesy – ‘a true gent’.

Adapted from a contribution by Peter Berners-Price (St 56-61), former President of the Rugbeian Society