John Robertson Watt, English-born son of a Scottish father and a Canadian mother, scholar, musician, humorist, artist, and beloved father of four and husband to Anne Sturgis, died peacefully on November 22, 2025 at home in Lincoln surrounded by family. He was 91.

Growing up in Rugby, England during the years of WWII, he attended the Rugby School and was then deployed to Malaya during the Malayan Emergency as a Lieutenant with the Gordon Highlanders before going to Oxford University to study history.

John earned his B.A. from Balliol College, his M.A. from Harvard University, and his Ph.D. from Columbia University, where he focused on Chinese and Japanese history. While singing in the University Choir at Harvard, he met Anne, whom he married in Cambridge in December 1960. Their union thrived across six and a half decades.

A China specialist, John published books on late Imperial local government in China, public health in Taiwan, and public and military healthcare in China from 1930-1945 (English and Chinese editions). In later life, John combined his intellect, spirituality, and belief in the importance of public ethics in his book The Wisdom of the Covenants and their Relevance to our Times (2019). Written for a secular audience wanting to better navigate the Judeo-Christian wisdom tradition at a time of increasing culture and gender wars, political unrest, and religious fundamentalism, the book is a roadmap for living intentionally, embracing others with grace and mercy, and stewarding the earth.

John began his teaching career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964, but the sunny climes and counterculture of the West Coast proved irresistible, and he joined the experimental Johnston College in Redlands, Calif., as a founding faculty member. Embracing long hair, bell bottoms, and sideburns, John starred in the college’s musical productions, moderated spirited student debates, and charmed students and faculty alike with his English accent and self-deprecating humor.

As comfortable in the countryside as the ivory tower, John returned to Vermont with his family in 1974. There, he threw himself into homesteading with Anne, tending to stone walls, downed trees, gardens, timeworn furniture, and a very old farmhouse while also navigating miles of rural roads to his job as dean of Windham College.

Upon leaving higher education, he co-founded a consulting firm, Bury Nelson & Watt, to assist nonprofit organizations with strategic planning and fundraising. John continued his nonprofit work as executive director for the American Bureau for Medical Advancement in China, which promoted medical exchange between Taiwan and the United States. He later served as a liaison with the Ford Foundation to place Chinese graduate students in U.S. research institutions.

Having moved back to Cambridge, John’s final professional endeavor combined his expertise in China with his skills in fundraising. He and Anne created the nonprofit New England China Network, operating under the Primary Source umbrella, to strengthen K-12 teaching about China. Supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Freeman Foundation, hundreds of New England teachers and administrators attended Primary Source’s highly coveted summer institutes, followed by study tours in China where John transfixed participants as tour guide extraordinaire with his charismatic and theatrical retelling of Chinese history, people, and places.

Above all, John was a uniquely talented organist, pianist, and leader of chamber music. He had the ability to play almost any score on sight, and had a profound connection with the emotion of a piece of music. He was gifted with an astonishing musical ear, so that any piece could be instantly transposed into any key for the convenience of others. In every community he called home, John gathered people together to make music, organizing chamber groups with musicians of all ages. After returning to the Boston area, John and Anne also joined the Harvard Radcliffe Community Chorus. Music was deep in John’s DNA; it was one of the things he was able to enjoy until the end. As he listened to music, he often described a piece as an old friend.

Curious and informed, spiritual and sacrilegious, witty and sardonic, John was a true original who shared his gifts liberally with those he loved. He excelled at penning lyrical poetic tributes to family members and friends, and documenting special occasions with his trademark British wit. A world traveler throughout his life, John loved to paint and sketch everywhere he went. Deeply kind, modest, diplomatic, and a friend and mentor to people of all ages and nationalities, John added depth and texture to the lives of all his colleagues and friends.

John adored his family and frequent gatherings throughout the year. He was a devoted husband of Anne and proud father to three accomplished daughters, Alison, Fiona, and Jennifer, and a son, Duncan, who died at 14 months of age. John was also the loving grandfather of four amazing grandchildren: Alec, Nicholas, Arden, and Eleanor. John’s spirit, love, and warmth remain in the hearts of his family and circle of friends. The universe is poorer for his absence.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his name to Primary Source. Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord, which provided this obituary. To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence on John’s tribute page, click here.

Mark John Deck, age 73, of Lincoln and Nantucket, passed away peacefully and in the comfort of his home on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2025, following a hard-fought, six-year battle with pancreatic cancer. In his final days, his wife, his four children and all nine grandchildren surrounded him with love and affection. In true Mark spirit, he had his quick wit and sense of humor until his last breath.

He was born on Halloween 1952 in New Orleans, the son of the late Raymond and Veronica (Abbick) Deck. Growing up, the family moved from Louisiana to Wisconsin to Massachusetts and eventually settled in West Hartford, Conn. He was a graduate of Kingswood Oxford High School with the class of 1970. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Science (cum laude) from Syracuse University. Mark worked as a middle school math teacher before pursuing his MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management in 1979. Subsequently, he was employed by MDS and Mercer before joining PRTM.

Mark joined the management consulting firm Pittiglio, Rabin, Todd & McGrath (PRTM) as a partner in 1995 in PRTM’s Weston, and subsequently Waltham, office. Mark led PRTM’s product development and innovation practice — PACE — enhancing the firm’s capabilities and position in this important market. As part of the firm’s global expansion, Mark spent four years in Shanghai helping to build PRTM’s team and market presence in China. Mark also helped support the initial integration efforts after PwC’s acquisition of PRTM before retiring at the end of 2011. Throughout his PRTM tenure, Mark was known across the firm as a product development expert, an adept team builder, and a consummate mentor. Mark knew the importance of balancing work with fun, as exemplified by hosting PRTM partners at his home watching the opening action sequence from every James Bond movie. Mark fully lived up to PRTM’s core value – make an impact – both personally and professionally.

An avid cyclist, Mark proudly completed the Pan Mass Challenge twelve times. His love of biking aside, his devotion to cancer care and research was his true mission, and he continued to ride and raise money for years following his own diagnosis. As a forty-year Lincoln resident, Mark volunteered for town committees that benefited the school system. He was a member of First Parish in Lincoln, where he also participated with the choir. An amateur carpenter and handyman, there was never a home project Mark didn’t enjoy. A special highlight was the renovation and restoration work to convert a 110 year-old farm house barn into his wife’s quilting studio in Lincoln.

His love of sports, especially the Red Sox, never wavered. His fondness for the team was represented by the names of his respective boats — “Fenway Faithful” and “Still Faithful”. He enjoyed music, and was a firm believer in using music as a medium for healing, communication, and meaningful connections. He was an avid consumer of The New York Times crossword puzzle, and also completed Wordle and Connections puzzles with Tricia every day. He traveled extensively, and was always seeking out new adventures and unique culinary experiences. In addition to his summer house on Nantucket, his family cabin on Lake Willoughby, Vt., always held a special place in his heart. He cherished his time there, whether it was water skiing, making memories with his family, sipping on a Manhattan or stargazing on the deck.

Fundamental to Mark’s character was his undying dedication to his wife, Tricia. As high-school sweethearts, they were inseparable from the day they met. Their supportive and loving relationship was a crucial part of Mark’s advice on how to live a happy and fulfilling life. Mark maximized every moment in life, always leading with love, and never shying away from a challenge.

Mark embodied the rare gift of bringing people together and fostering meaningful relationships. He leaves behind an amazing network of connection through the lives he enriched with his unconditional love. He was an extraordinary grandfather and a supportive uncle and great-uncle. Through good times and bad, Mark could be leaned on for advice, moral support, or just a good laugh.

Mark’s memory and legacy will live on through his wife of 51 years, Tricia (Purrington) Deck and their four children: Wilbur Deck and his wife Reba, Eliza Ryan and her husband Damion, Heidi Ledbetter and her husband, Emmett, and Michela Deck and her husband, Sam Treadway. He was the proud “Pop Pop” of Zachary (25), Gabrielle (23), Pearl (13), Odin (10), Donnie (7), Corbin (5), Piper (5), Teagan (2) and Lucia (1). He also leaves behind his siblings, Barbara Deck, Michael Deck, Mimi Rutledge and her husband, Tom, two sisters-in-law, Priscilla Deck and Sarah Fujiwara, along with many nieces, nephews and extended family. Mark was predeceased by two brothers, Raymond Deck Jr. and Kevin Deck.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate Mark’s life during a memorial service at First Parish of Lincoln on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 10:00am, with a reception immediately following. Burial at Lincoln Cemetery will be private.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mark’s honor may be made to support cancer research and care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), specifically targeting pancreatic cancer research. 

Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord, which provided this obituary. The service will be livestreamed here. To share a memory or post on Mark’s tribute page, click here.