Obituary of John Collins Lord

John Collins Lord, of Glastonbury, CT and Westerly, RI died on his 62nd birthday, July 19, 2023.  John passed away peacefully at Hartford Hospital surrounded by his loving family. He was the beloved husband of the late Juliet Lord, for 32 years.  John leaves four sons, Jon, Robert, Trevor and Alexander, and Alex’s wife Jaimie. He is also survived by his parents, Robert H. and Nancy Collins Lord, his sister Katherine Lane (Richard), his brothers, Peter (Tricia) and Thomas (Deborah) and numerous nieces and nephews. John was also especially close to his sister-in-law, Kimberly Prout and her husband Steven.  

John lived in Glastonbury his entire life only recently splitting time between Glastonbury and Westerly. He was a product of Glastonbury Public Schools, and part of the Glastonbury High School Class of 1979. John graduated from St. Anselm College in 1983, with a B.A in Political Science. He remained very active with the college’s alumni association.  

Immediately after college, John joined the Robert H. Lord Company, as an account executive, and for the past 23 years he served as the company’s President. The Robert H. Lord Company remains a leader in furniture and architectural products for K-12 schools and top colleges throughout New England. John served on many manufacturer dealer councils, including Hussey, Porter, Sico and V.S. John also served on the national board of ED-Spaces planning committee. He loved the Robert H. Lord Company and all that they accomplished in the private and public educational markets.

Throughout his life, John was very active in the Glastonbury community. He was a past president of the Glastonbury Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow. For several years, John chaired the Rotary club’s social committee and handled the challenging task of coordinating the tables for the 2000-plus attendees at the Rotary Lobster Festival. John was also instrumental in the creation of the Glastonbury Education Foundation and served as the Vice-Chairman.  

John enjoyed the game of golf and had some of the “best” hands around the greens. He was always able to get that ball up and down. John was a member of Glastonbury Hills CC, Wethersfield CC and TPC. He not only enjoyed the game but also the fellowship and friends he had made along the way. He had the good fortune of playing some of the best courses throughout the United States and Europe. He especially enjoyed playing and staying at Pine Valley and his “boy’s trip” to Scotland for the 2015 Ryder Cup. 

John enjoyed traveling with his wife Julie, who lost her battle with cancer this past February. They enjoyed many vacations with their sons and with their good friends, Jackie & Woody Baird. Much like his wife Julie, John loved the beach. Nothing made him happier than having his feet in the sand, and the Sunday Times or an interesting biography in his hands. John enjoyed entertaining and generously opened his homes to family and friends.

John and Julie also enjoyed spending long weekends in New York City. They frequented the best restaurants, took long walks to museums and shorter walks to some of the best shopping in the world. John appreciated the finest, high-end clothing, watches and dress shoes. His closet was something to see. To all that knew him, John was far and away the best dressed for all occasions. Not only was he the best dressed, but he was also a great conversationalist. John was very well read, had strong, well-thought-out opinions on current events, and thrived on engaging others. John’s larger-than-life personality came with an incredible sense of humor. At his monthly investment club meeting, the members could count on a great joke or funny story. His sense of humor was one of his greatest gifts.

The past three years were difficult for John, with the loss of his good friend and sister-in-law, Pam McCue, and the recent loss of his beloved wife, Julie. Through this difficult time, his own health began to decline. He greatly appreciated the love and support of his family and his many friends. Although John loved the finest things in life, what made him truly rich was the number of close friends that stood by him.

Visiting hours will be at the Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Avenue, Glastonbury, on Wednesday, July 26 from 4 -6 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church, 285 Church Street, Hartford, on Thursday, July 27 at 10 am.  Burial will follow in Holy Cross Cemetery, Glastonbury.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: Glastonbury Rotary Scholarship Foundation

PO BOX 67, Glastonbury CT 06033. For online condolences please visit www.mulryanfh.com.