John F. "Jack" Condon

John F. “Jack” Condon, 83, a longtime resident of Holliston, MA, passed away on February 4, 2018 in Nashua, NH. Jack was born in Boston, MA on September 26, 1934, a son of Frederick and Svea (Forslund) Condon. He was raised and educated in Dedham, MA, and in 1952 graduated from Norfolk County Agricultural High School in Walpole, MA. He went on to study horticulture at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He married Ruth Corey on March 22, 1958. In his hand-written recollection, he calls this “the best day of my life.” After the wedding, he and Ruth traveled across the country in a Volkswagen bug, visiting more than twenty states, staying (again, in his own words) “in every town with a telephone in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.” Countless photographs remain of their cross-country adventure – most of Ruth smiling in front of gorgeous landscapes. Their daughter Nancy was born during a longer stay in Ohio, and they returned to Massachusetts in 1964. Jack was hired by Boston Gas and the family settled in Holliston. They bought a cottage on Lake Winnepesaukee in the early ‘70’s, and the family traveled in all seasons between Holliston and Alton, NH. He sailed, swam, and paddled on the lake from age 16 on, and of all the places he visited in his life, it was his favorite. As a boy, he came down with rheumatic fever and was prescribed six months of bed rest – he was told not to get out of bed “for anything,” so naturally, when his mother had left for work, he would take his BB gun outside and take target practice by shooting at cans. This served him well in the army, where he was a top scorer in sharpshooting competitions, and later as a duck, grouse, and turkey hunter. His only indoor hobby was wood carving. Otherwise, the better part of his spare time was spent outdoors hunting, skiing, sailing, playing tennis, hiking, and gardening – and teaching his kids to do all of these things. He owned a 4-wheel drive vehicle before they were popular, and took the family on countless adventures on the back roads of New Hampshire (not to mention “doing donuts” in Holliston school parking lots after snowstorms). He will be particularly remembered for his dry sense of humor, empathy, love of nature and animals, ability to stay calm in any crisis, and devotion to his family. Family members include his wife Ruth (Corey) Condon of Nashua, NH; his daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and David McManus of Milford, NH; his daughter Karen Malley of Northampton, MA; his son and daughter-in-law, Bruce Condon and Deb Theis of Pearland, TX; his three grandchildren, Michael, John and Kaitlyn McManus; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Judith and Ted Clausen of California, and Jean and Dave Garrecht of Guilford, Vermont; his brother and sister-in-law, Kenneth and Pat Condon of California; Peter Haskell, a cousin raised with the family and his wife Patti Haskell of Dedham, MA; many nieces and nephews. A memorial service celebrating Jack’s life will be held on Saturday, February 17th at 2:00 in the Smith Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm St, Milford, NH. Donations in Jack’s memory may be made to Therapy Dogs International, Chapter 284, 88 Bartley Rd., Flanders, NJ 07836, or the Alzheimer’s Association, 309 Waverly Oaks Road, Waltham, MA 02452.