John H. Thatcher, Jr., 86, passed away peacefully at home on August 14, 2017. Born on April 18, 1931, he was the son of the late John H. Thatcher, Sr. and Eleanor (Bonbright) Thatcher. He was raised in Englewood, NJ, settled in Chatham, NJ, and moved to Hillsborough, NJ in 2012. He graduated from Princeton University in 1953.
An avid fisherman, John spent many summers in his childhood and adult years fishing on Fishers Island, NY. His love of the island and passion for preserving the island’s clean waters and natural habitats spurred him to co-found the Fishers Island Conservancy in 1985 and serve as the Conservancy’s president for many years. Throughout his tenure as Conservancy president, he tirelessly advocated for preservation and conservation of the island’s clean water and ecosystems and will be remembered for working with the “mosquito girls” to lessen the mosquito population on the island through non-toxic control measures. A stroke, sustained while fishing on Fishers Island in 2005, prevented him from returning to his favorite island and fishing grounds.
John was a devoted husband to Mary, father to Monica (Eric) and Marisa (Chris), grandfather to Gwen, Ellie, Abby, Bridgette, PJ, Kathrynne, Mackenzie, Liam, Alison, great-grandfather to Brantley and Corbyn, brother to Llewellyn, and uncle to nieces Evelyn and Katie and nephews Chris, Michael, Rich, and James. He was predeceased by his brother Richard Thatcher. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
John Thatcher’s Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, September 16 at 1:00 pm at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church on Fishers Island, to which everyone is welcome. The burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory may be made to the Fishers Island Conservancy, PO Box 553, Fishers Island, NY 06390. www.fishersislandconservancy.org.
