John J. THEODORE John Theodore, whose restless energy and entrepreneurial spirit animated a life filled with enduring friendships, global travels, and businesses that employed thousands, passed away on July 11, 2010. He was 93. The child of Eastern European immigrants, John grew up on the streets of Hell's Kitchen in New York where, along with his beloved brother Jim, he imbibed the 'New York attitude' that shaped much of his character.
John made his way west in his 20's, attending Walla Walla University - where he met his future wife, Georgiana Brooks - and the University of Washington, from which he received a degree in Economics and Business in 1946.
Demonstrating a savant's ability with numbers and a keen nose for a good deal, John continually parlayed business opportunities into profitable ventures. These included the Northwest Trading Company, an import / export operation that John ran as president from his office on top of Seattle's Smith Tower; co-owner and general manager of the Okinawa Plywood Corporation; president and owner of the JJ Theodore Company, an independent Puget Sound salmon cannery; and owner of several parking lots and garages in downtown Seattle. John was also a registered stock broker, reflecting a lifelong interest in the stock market that began on Wall Street when he earned '12 bucks a week' as a teenaged errand boy for the New York Stock Exchange.
John's interests extended well beyond the business world. He was a charter member, the first president, and tenor in the Seattle Chorale, which was founded by his friend Leonard Moore and eventually became the Seattle Symphony Chorale. John also served on the board and was a chorus member of the Seattle Opera. Many of John's friends from the arts community, as well as family members, church friends, and business colleagues, were regaled at festive luncheons and dinners hosted by John at The Rainier Club in Seattle.
After his wife's death from cancer, John assisted his daughter Holly in launching the John J. and Georgiana Theodore Foundation, created in Georgie's memory to help musical organizations and initiatives. John and Georgie were members of Greenlake SDA Church in Seattle and longtime residents of Bellevue.
John had his Bellevue home for 38 years and lived there until his final days, when the ravages of Alzheimer's mandated around-the-clock care. He is buried at Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Bellevue. John is survived by his daughter Holly, his son James, four grandchildren and two step-grandchildren - Carina, John, Lauren, Allison, Daniel, and James.
Donations can be made in John's memory to the Piatigorsky Foundation in New York City (www.piatigorskyfoundation.org , 225 West 34th Street, Suite 1513, New York, NY 10122), which brings the joy of live classical music to people who may otherwise not be able to access it, including nursing homes and rural towns, or the Icicle Creek Music Center in Leavenworth, Washington (www.icicle.org , PO Box 2071, Leavenworth, WA 98826), which fosters quality chamber music year- round in the Cascade Mountains.
Published in The Seattle Times on July 18, 2010
John made his way west in his 20's, attending Walla Walla University - where he met his future wife, Georgiana Brooks - and the University of Washington, from which he received a degree in Economics and Business in 1946.
Demonstrating a savant's ability with numbers and a keen nose for a good deal, John continually parlayed business opportunities into profitable ventures. These included the Northwest Trading Company, an import / export operation that John ran as president from his office on top of Seattle's Smith Tower; co-owner and general manager of the Okinawa Plywood Corporation; president and owner of the JJ Theodore Company, an independent Puget Sound salmon cannery; and owner of several parking lots and garages in downtown Seattle. John was also a registered stock broker, reflecting a lifelong interest in the stock market that began on Wall Street when he earned '12 bucks a week' as a teenaged errand boy for the New York Stock Exchange.
John's interests extended well beyond the business world. He was a charter member, the first president, and tenor in the Seattle Chorale, which was founded by his friend Leonard Moore and eventually became the Seattle Symphony Chorale. John also served on the board and was a chorus member of the Seattle Opera. Many of John's friends from the arts community, as well as family members, church friends, and business colleagues, were regaled at festive luncheons and dinners hosted by John at The Rainier Club in Seattle.
After his wife's death from cancer, John assisted his daughter Holly in launching the John J. and Georgiana Theodore Foundation, created in Georgie's memory to help musical organizations and initiatives. John and Georgie were members of Greenlake SDA Church in Seattle and longtime residents of Bellevue.
John had his Bellevue home for 38 years and lived there until his final days, when the ravages of Alzheimer's mandated around-the-clock care. He is buried at Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Bellevue. John is survived by his daughter Holly, his son James, four grandchildren and two step-grandchildren - Carina, John, Lauren, Allison, Daniel, and James.
Donations can be made in John's memory to the Piatigorsky Foundation in New York City (www.piatigorskyfoundation.org , 225 West 34th Street, Suite 1513, New York, NY 10122), which brings the joy of live classical music to people who may otherwise not be able to access it, including nursing homes and rural towns, or the Icicle Creek Music Center in Leavenworth, Washington (www.icicle.org , PO Box 2071, Leavenworth, WA 98826), which fosters quality chamber music year- round in the Cascade Mountains.
Published in The Seattle Times on July 18, 2010
John J. THEODORE John Theodore, whose restless energy and entrepreneurial spirit animated a life filled with enduring friendships, global travels, and businesses that employed thousands, passed away on July 11, 2010. He was 93. The child of Eastern European immigrants, John grew up on the streets of Hell's Kitchen in New York where, along with his beloved brother Jim, he imbibed the 'New York attitude' that shaped much of his character.
John made his way west in his 20's, attending Walla Walla University - where he met his future wife, Georgiana Brooks - and the University of Washington, from which he received a degree in Economics and Business in 1946.
Demonstrating a savant's ability with numbers and a keen nose for a good deal, John continually parlayed business opportunities into profitable ventures. These included the Northwest Trading Company, an import / export operation that John ran as president from his office on top of Seattle's Smith Tower; co-owner and general manager of the Okinawa Plywood Corporation; president and owner of the JJ Theodore Company, an independent Puget Sound salmon cannery; and owner of several parking lots and garages in downtown Seattle. John was also a registered stock broker, reflecting a lifelong interest in the stock market that began on Wall Street when he earned '12 bucks a week' as a teenaged errand boy for the New York Stock Exchange.
John's interests extended well beyond the business world. He was a charter member, the first president, and tenor in the Seattle Chorale, which was founded by his friend Leonard Moore and eventually became the Seattle Symphony Chorale. John also served on the board and was a chorus member of the Seattle Opera. Many of John's friends from the arts community, as well as family members, church friends, and business colleagues, were regaled at festive luncheons and dinners hosted by John at The Rainier Club in Seattle.
After his wife's death from cancer, John assisted his daughter Holly in launching the John J. and Georgiana Theodore Foundation, created in Georgie's memory to help musical organizations and initiatives. John and Georgie were members of Greenlake SDA Church in Seattle and longtime residents of Bellevue.
John had his Bellevue home for 38 years and lived there until his final days, when the ravages of Alzheimer's mandated around-the-clock care. He is buried at Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Bellevue. John is survived by his daughter Holly, his son James, four grandchildren and two step-grandchildren - Carina, John, Lauren, Allison, Daniel, and James.
Donations can be made in John's memory to the Piatigorsky Foundation in New York City (www.piatigorskyfoundation.org , 225 West 34th Street, Suite 1513, New York, NY 10122), which brings the joy of live classical music to people who may otherwise not be able to access it, including nursing homes and rural towns, or the Icicle Creek Music Center in Leavenworth, Washington (www.icicle.org , PO Box 2071, Leavenworth, WA 98826), which fosters quality chamber music year- round in the Cascade Mountains.
Published in The Seattle Times on July 18, 2010
John made his way west in his 20's, attending Walla Walla University - where he met his future wife, Georgiana Brooks - and the University of Washington, from which he received a degree in Economics and Business in 1946.
Demonstrating a savant's ability with numbers and a keen nose for a good deal, John continually parlayed business opportunities into profitable ventures. These included the Northwest Trading Company, an import / export operation that John ran as president from his office on top of Seattle's Smith Tower; co-owner and general manager of the Okinawa Plywood Corporation; president and owner of the JJ Theodore Company, an independent Puget Sound salmon cannery; and owner of several parking lots and garages in downtown Seattle. John was also a registered stock broker, reflecting a lifelong interest in the stock market that began on Wall Street when he earned '12 bucks a week' as a teenaged errand boy for the New York Stock Exchange.
John's interests extended well beyond the business world. He was a charter member, the first president, and tenor in the Seattle Chorale, which was founded by his friend Leonard Moore and eventually became the Seattle Symphony Chorale. John also served on the board and was a chorus member of the Seattle Opera. Many of John's friends from the arts community, as well as family members, church friends, and business colleagues, were regaled at festive luncheons and dinners hosted by John at The Rainier Club in Seattle.
After his wife's death from cancer, John assisted his daughter Holly in launching the John J. and Georgiana Theodore Foundation, created in Georgie's memory to help musical organizations and initiatives. John and Georgie were members of Greenlake SDA Church in Seattle and longtime residents of Bellevue.
John had his Bellevue home for 38 years and lived there until his final days, when the ravages of Alzheimer's mandated around-the-clock care. He is buried at Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Bellevue. John is survived by his daughter Holly, his son James, four grandchildren and two step-grandchildren - Carina, John, Lauren, Allison, Daniel, and James.
Donations can be made in John's memory to the Piatigorsky Foundation in New York City (www.piatigorskyfoundation.org , 225 West 34th Street, Suite 1513, New York, NY 10122), which brings the joy of live classical music to people who may otherwise not be able to access it, including nursing homes and rural towns, or the Icicle Creek Music Center in Leavenworth, Washington (www.icicle.org , PO Box 2071, Leavenworth, WA 98826), which fosters quality chamber music year- round in the Cascade Mountains.
Published in The Seattle Times on July 18, 2010
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