John Gordon Ewen

John Gordon Ewen, loving and devoted husband of Faye (Colligan) Ewen, died peacefully at home on May 9, 2014. He was born January 20, 1920 in Kent, England to the late Lionel B. and Robin I. Ewen and came to West Hartford in 1927. He was predeceased by two sisters, Diana Hall and Jean Winborne. He leaves behind two nieces, Anne McGough and Wendy Patzewitsch of College Station & Bryon, Texas respectively and many supportive, faithful and loving in-laws and friends. John served in World War II for more than four years as a member of The 5th Infantry Division. In June of 1944 he went into combat in Normandy, France and fought all the way across Europe with the Third Army under General George Patton. He was co-founder and President of Hartford Containers, Inc., a corrugated box manufacturing company. John loved the outdoors and was an avid fisherman, hunter, skier, trap shooter, and golfer. He was an accomplished pilot and flew his planes all over the country including up to Alaska. He was also a talented artist and did scrimshaw, water color paintings, weaved Nantucket baskets, and carved wooden waterfowl decoys. He won many awards for his decoys, among them the World Championship in 1976. He was a 32nd degree Mason & Shriner and Past Member of Wyllis Lodge #99, Past Sovereign Prince of Hartford Council, Prince of Jerusalem, and member of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut. He was also an active member of Mt. Laurel Ski Club and Andover Sportsmen’s Club. He loved music and for many years served on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Opera Association. John will be remembered as a man of integrity, kindness, compassion, and generosity and one who loved to tell and receive a joke as long as it was a short one. A special thank you goes to all the members of the McLean Hospice Team in Simsbury, CT for their very professional, compassionate care and guidance given to John and to his wife as well. Friends and family may call on Thursday, May 15, from 3-5 p.m. at the Molloy Funeral Home, 906 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, followed by a prayer service at 5:00 p.m. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to McLean Hospice Team, 75 Great Pond Road, Simsbury, CT 06070. Online expressions of sympathy may be made at www.molloyfuneralhome.com