John Minty Roy

John Minty Roy passed away on February 6, 2023, in Brookline, MA, after several months of declining health. 

John was a devoted husband, father, brother-in-law, uncle, grandfather and great-uncle. He had an uncanny ability to understand others' hopes and dreams, envision how they could be realized, and work tirelessly to make them happen. He was a technical wizard, striving from the first days of computers to make the new technology useful to others. He loved to solve problems and was known for jokes and diplomacy that built trust across political divides and helped people and institutions move forward with confidence. He was a talented home renovator, making each of the places he lived better than he found them. He loved sports, world travel, and ice cream, especially Cherry Garcia.

He was born in Montreal Quebec, November 22, 1939, son of John and Margret Bonella (Ella) Roy, both of whom were born in Scotland. He delivered groceries on a bicycle, and played ice hockey throughout the long winters. He was a runner, one of the top milers in Canada as a teenager. He was the first in his family to graduate from college, with a degree in chemical engineering and later an MBA from McGill University.

He met Lynn Thomas, the love of his life, in a church youth group. They married in Montreal on August 25, 1962 and soon had daughters Kathy and Margot.

John worked for ChemCell in Montreal and in Edmonton, programming primitive computers to optimize the functioning of the plant. In 1968, he and his family moved to the Boston area where John first worked for the Christian Science Church headquarters in Boston and then for State Street Bank. The family first lived in Holbrook MA, moved to Newton and then to Boston's South End. In 1998, Lynn and John moved to Webster, NY, where John joined Manning and Napier to transition their computing systems through Y2K.

In 2001, John retired, and the two moved to Vershire VT to be near Kathy and husband David as they hoped to start a family. When Kathy and David’s infant son died, Lynn and John worked to create the Vershire Community Library in Robert Arthur Hooke’s memory in VerShare’s Church-Orr House, and then continued to help transform the Church-Orr House into a hostel, store and gathering place in Vershire Village. Lynn and John helped raise much of the funds needed, and developed the library program and childrens' activities. Kathy and David’s son Benjamin, born 2004, became the ever-willing participant in Lynn and John's schemes, including activities at VerShare's community camp, field trips to destinations around the Northeast and weekend programs at the library.

John became involved in several other volunteer/charitable enterprises, including the Vershire Historical Society, the Hanover NH Branch of the Christian Science Church, the Lebanon NH chapter of the Service Corps of Retired Executives, and the Chestnut Hill Benevolent Association in Brookline, MA. 

But the really big thing was EC Fiber. John found common cause with a group of people seeking to bring fiber optic internet to towns in central Vermont. In early 2008 they formed EC Fiber with John as treasurer. When the financial crash in September of that year dashed hopes of public financing, John developed a boot-strap financing scheme that eventually raised a total of $7 M in $2,500 increments from over 500 citizen investors. John worked tirelessly at the state level as well, lobbying legislators and helping persuade the Division of Public Service to create the backbone of the network. In 2015 the Vermont Legislature passed a law allowing for Communication Union Districts, of which EC Fiber became the first of many.

In 2017, with EC Fiber launched and Ben no longer needing childcare, Lynn and John moved back to Boston, living in the North End where they became active members of the North End Library, NEMPAC, and community gardening. When the pandemic struck, John swapped out his local gym membership for Boston’s bikeshare program. He became a devoted “Blue Bike Angel,” riding loaner bikes to where they were needed. He went out in all weather, often rising as early as 5 AM to move bikes and compete in the monthly points contest, which he won several times.  

Lynn and John’s curiosity and connections led them around the world, from the Yukon to Chile, Panama to Japan, and included several trips to India. John was a faithful fan of his hometown teams, from the Canadiens to the Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox, and the Rivendell Raptors. His fascination with and encyclopedic knowledge of sports skipped a generation but found a zealous apostle in grandson, Ben.

John leaves behind Lynn, his wife of over 60 years; daughters Kathy and Margot and their spouses David Hooke and Jagdish Koppisety, grandson Benjamin, sister-in-law Bonnie, brother in-law Larry [Leslie] and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

A celebration of John's life will be held on Sunday May 7, 2023 at 2:00pm at Vershire Town Center, 27 Vershire Center Rd. Vershire, Vermont. Donations in his memory may be made to VerShare, P.O. Box 112 Vershire VT, 05079, or to SOS Children’s Villages of India, www.soschildrensvillages.in.

Please note, flower delivery is unavailable to Vershire , Vermont.