John “Jack” Mohr, 96, Died; Staples Class of 1944, Veteran, “the most genuine of human beings”
(May 10, 1926 - December 8, 2022) John Day Mohr passed away on December 8, 2022 in Unionville, Pennsylvania, where he and his late wife Nancy lived for most of their 65 years of marriage. Born in New Rochelle, NY, John, also known as 'Jack,' was 96 years old.
The son of Mr. and Mrs. Franz J Mohr, he grew up in Westport, Connecticut and graduated from Staples High School in 1944. Soon after graduation, and at the age of 17, he cleverly managed to enlist in the precursor to the US Air Force, the Army Air Corps, where he became a navigator in a B-29 bomber. He was called to active duty the following November, shortly after his father died while serving in the Coast Guard.
After the war, John was accepted to the architecture program at Middlebury College, but never attended, as two longtime buddies convinced him to join them on a road trip to Mexico in a 1928 Packard. Once there, GI Bill in hand, John enrolled in Mexico City College, where the head of the English department, formerly a tenured professor from UCLA, took an interest in his writing and convinced him to pursue a major in English. After completing his freshman year at Mexico City, he returned to the States at his family's request, ultimately earning a BA in English from Kent State University in Ohio.
After college he found work in the advertising department of a Connecticut garment company. Shortly thereafter, he moved on to be a copywriter for Madison Avenue ad agency titan, J. Walter Thompson, where he met Nancy. Not long after their marriage in 1956, they decided to leave New York and move to the rolling hills of Green Spring Valley, Maryland, an easy commute to Baltimore where John had landed a new copywriting position. It was there that their family started to grow and where they put down roots that still remain to this day. Six years later, the Mohr family moved to Pennsylvania when John began to work for ad agency N.W. Ayer in Philadelphia. They eventually purchased a farm in Chatham, Pennsylvania replete with five children and an ever-expanding menagerie of farm animals, horses, cows, ponies, chickens, pigs, dogs and even a donkey.
In 1974, wishing to escape encroaching development, they sold the farm and purchased land in nearby Unionville on which they built a new house and barn using materials salvaged from the large bank barn from the Chatham farm. The Unionville farm would become the Mohrs' home for almost 40 years. During the early years in Pennsylvania, John was enjoying a long tenure as senior copywriter at N. W. Ayer. However, in the late seventies, N. W. Ayer chose to relocate to Madison Avenue. With John and Nancy's attachment to the Unionville area by this time all but permanent, a move back to New York didn't appeal. So, the devoted father of five began his now legendary daily commute from Unionville to Manhattan. At N. W. Ayer, his ad campaigns included AT&T, 7-Up, Carrier Air Conditioning and Shorts Airplanes. This went on for the better part of seven years before John finally hung up his advertising spurs to happily tend to the rolling pastures and woods of Sevynmor Farm. It was also not uncommon for John to revisit his fascination with the world of flight, taking the occasional flying lesson or attending an air show.
With a deep appreciation of the open country and rolling hills of Chester County, John and Nancy became deeply involved in land conservation. As advocates and supporters of the Brandywine Conservancy, they were among the first in the community to place their land under conservation easement. As a supporter of farming and open space, John was also one of the first members named to The Chester County Agriculture Development Council. When a local newspaper inquired of his ag credentials, he described himself as a 'casual pig farmer.' Always the copywriter.
And always, to those who knew him well, among the most genuine of human beings they ever knew.
John lost his loving wife, Nancy L. Mohr, on August 14, 2021. He is survived by his two daughters and three sons, Timothy Day Mohr (Sherman Todd), Wendy Carlyle Mohr Morris (Cooper Morris), Jonathan Day Mohr (Jan Haskell), Margot Mohr Teetor (David Christopher Teetor), Peter Day Mohr, thirteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Joan Day Mohr and is predeceased by his sister, Judith Borden, and her husband, Don Borden. In lieu of flowers, the family would love for you to consider making a donation in the memory of John Day Mohr to the New Garden Flying Field, Future Aviators, 1235 Newark Road, Toughkenamon, PA 19374. Arrangements by Kuzo Funeral Home of Kennett Square, PA. To view his online tribute and leave a message for John's family, visit www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com.
Published by The Daily Local from Jan. 3 to Jan. 8, 2023.
Howard Simon, Active Westport Community Member, Died
Howard Simon, long time resident of Weston, died on Friday, December 30th after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He is survived by his wife, Amy Simon, his daughters Katherine McCarty (Matthew), Lisa Simon Bailey (Jeff), his sons Matthew Simon, David Simon (Andrea), James Simon and five grandchildren: Ross Simon, Evan Simon, Marshall Bailey, Reed McCarty and Kira McCarty.
He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1932. He was predeceased by his parents, I. E. Simon and Gertrude L. Simon, his brothers, Jerrold Simon and Ronald Simon and his son, Bruce Simon. Howard attended St. Paul Central High School followed by University of Minnesota where he studied Business Administration and was a member of Phi Epsilon fraternity.
He joined his family's manufacturing business, Simon and Mogilner, in Birmingham, Alabama where he directed sales and marketing before becoming CEO. Howard then worked as an early pioneer in financing for cellular communications and independent tv stations before representing Major League Baseball players as an agent.
Howard was an avid tennis player, sports fan, and loved his monthly poker game. He followed politics and current events with keen interest. He was a mentor and advisor who was always happy to provide advice and business guidance. Above all, he was known for his affable personality, engaging everyone he met with midwestern charm.
Funeral services will be held on at 11 am on Wednesday, January 4th at Abraham L. Green and Son Funeral Home, 88 Beach Road, Fairfield, CT. Memorial contributions may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the staff at Jewish Senior Services, Bridgeport, who cared for him with great compassion and kindness.
Mort Silverberg, 92, Died; MIT Graduate, Y’s Men Member
Morton Silverberg, age 92, passed away on December 25, 2022 from heart disease. Mort had a lively, perceptive and deeply intelligent mind. After graduating from MIT in 1953, he began an impressive professional career as an engineer working at Remington Rand, RCA, Xerox and Pitney Bowes. He has over 100 patents in his name, ranging from copier technology to the perfect paper clip. When he and his wife Phyllis moved to Westport, Connecticut in 1985, they began the best years of their lives. He sailed and played tennis. He became involved in Y’s Men of Westport / Weston, an organization of retired and semi-retired men. He frequently remarked that he never had so many friends in his life and loved participating in the club’s activities. They both loved Westport and all it had to offer.
He is survived by his two daughters, Judy Ross, Lynn McDonald, and by three grandchildren, Ben Ross, Tyler Ross and Amy McDonald. His wife Phyllis Silverberg passed in November of 2022. Memorial contributions may be made to the Y’s Men of Westport / Wilton. (www.ysmenwestportweston.org)
Gary Miller Stuart, 82, Died; Local Volunteer, “enjoyed being a grandfather”
Gary Miller Stuart of Westport, Connecticut died on November 27, 2022, at the age of 82 due to complications related to Alzheimer’s.
Gary was born on May 8, 1940, to H.W. and Ruth Stuart in Normal, Illinois. After graduating as valedictorian of the class of 1958 at Normal Community High School, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1962. Following M.I.T., he earned his Master’s degree in economics from Harvard. He then joined the renowned training program at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan as a financial analyst.
He and his wife Sylvia lived in New Canaan, Connecticut, where they raised four boys. Gary had a successful career in corporate finance serving in various financial and operational roles at Ford, the General Foods Company and Union Pacific Corporation, where he was the Chief Financial Officer when he retired in 1999.
Following his retirement, he traveled, became an avid cyclist, volunteered at the Saugatuck Congregational Church and the Westport Public Library, took a serious interest in genealogy and enjoyed being a grandfather.
He is survived by his wife Sylvia (Rowayton, CT), his four sons David (Peggy) (Fairfield, CT), Peter (Lona) (Derby, VT), Paul (Lesley) (Southlake, TX) and Michael (Vanessa) (Madrid, Spain) and his eight grandchildren Maggie, Emma, Sam, Abigail, Vicki, Nicholas, Celeste and Sofia. The family requests that memorial contributions go to the Saugatuck Congregational Church in Westport, Connecticut or the Westport Public Library.