John W. “Jack” Kingsbury of Essex, formerly of Cold Spring, New York, died suddenly at the age of 77 on the morning of Oct. 19. His wife Melinda, his children Elisa Kingsbury of Berkeley, California, and Colin W. Kingsbury of Boston, Massachusetts, son in-law Jim Hrabitin and grandson Rex Hrabitin, many friends, Essex Yacht Club members, and the community of Essex all join in sorrow at their unexpected loss.
Born in 1938 to John and Wilhelmina Kingsbury of Jersey City, New Jersey, Jack disregarded his high school teachers’ advice that he would never make a living doodling in his notebooks. He attended the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts. Following his service in the United States Army, Jack began a career in the design industry. Vice president and creative director at Coty, Inc., he brought his sharpshooter’s eye to award-winning packaging for fragrances such as Stetson, the brand that most reflected his own rugged, confident, yet approachable style. Highlights of his career include a weekend serving as Sophia Loren’s bodyguard and seeing a bottle he designed included in a MOMA exhibit of iconic packaging designs.
Introduced by a mutual friend, Jack and Melinda married in 1997. They moved to Essex in 2001, where they spent 14 years involved in countless activities, surrounded by their many friends. In any gathering, Jack would quickly win the affection of the very young and very old. He enjoyed recounting stories of his own misadventures, and no moment was too dark for him to add levity to put everyone else at ease, including the ambulance crew who transported him to the hospital on the night of his passing. At the time of his death, Jack had just returned with Melinda from a three-week “trip of a lifetime” to France. He brought back hundreds of photographs to inspire his recently rediscovered love of watercolor painting. To his delight, every juried art show he entered accepted his paintings and the Connecticut Watercolor Society honored him as an elected member.
Jack was an avid horseman, hunter, skier, and sailor. He shared his passions with his children, from equestrian three-day eventing with his daughter and Alaskan fishing trips with his son, to crabbing with his grandson from the stern of his sailboat on the Connecticut River. He was a member of the Essex Yacht Club, where he served as chair of the House Committee. He took pleasure in volunteering for F.I.S.H. (Friends In Service Here). Jack could also be seen as Santa on the lead boat at the annual Essex celebration “Trees in the Rigging.” Jack will best be remembered for his art as a storyteller. He would spin such amazing and hilarious tales, always surrounding his friends and family with joy and laughter.
In addition to his wife, daughter, son, and grandson, Jack is survived by his sisters Grace Kingsbury of Cranford, New Jersey, and Judy Speer of Hudson, Massachusetts. He was predeceased by his beloved sisters Jeanne Lamie and Joan Schluter.
A celebration of Jack’s life will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Main Street in Essex on Oct. 29 at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jack’s name to The Essex Art Association or to the Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut. To share a memory of Jack or send a condolence to his family, please visit www.rwwfh.com. Arrangements by the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home in Centerbrook.
