Hopkinton – John H. Dockstader, 86, passed away peacefully Friday, August 19, 2005, at Eliot Health Care Center in Natick with Libby, his wife of 63 years by his side.
He had been a resident of Hopkinton since 1956. Born in Rahway, NH; he was the son of the late John and Alice (Kneale) Dockstader and was raised in Woodbridge, NH. After graduating from Tufts College in 1941, Jack took up machine work and during W.W.II was assistand Director of Machine Shops, radar Laboratories at MIT. He worked in machine design in the paper goods industry, then in the aircraft industry and finally in the medical products industry at Hewlett Packard company in Waltham, from which he retired. In his later years, Jack was a futurist, continually working to understand and predict trends in industry and life in general.
In 1942 he married Edna Elizabeth “Libby” Collins of Gloucester, with whom he had four children. In recent years Jack and Libby were known as the “walkers” as they strolled around downtown Hopkinton, arm in arm, conducting their chores, picking up a newspaper or having a cup of coffee. They were inseparable unto death.
Jack supported the Boy Scouts as a Scout Commissioner, the Salvation Army as a volunteer and the Frist Congregational Church of Hopkinton as a Deacon. He was active in the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, serving as regional president, the Numerical Control Society and the International Federation of Automatic Controls. Jack and Libby have been faithful supporters of their alma mater, Tufts University, serving as co-chairs of their class’s 50th reunion.
Besides his wife, Jack is survived by his children, William M. Dockstader and his wife Linda of Seattle, WA, David J. Dockstader and his wife Gigi, of Hopkinton, Bruce L. Dockstader and his wife, Susan, of Kent, OH, and Debora Gray and her husband, Stewart, of Woodstock, CT; his brother, Earnest K. Dockstader and his wife Margaret of PA; grandchildren, Thomas A., of Pittsburg, PA, John G. of CO, Benjamin A. of Parma, OH and Liane of Woodstock, CT; and a great grandson, Duncan T. of Pittsburgh, PA. Jack was predeceased by his sister, Helen Lauretsen of Woodbridge, NH and his great-granddaughter, Claire A. Dockstader.
The funeral will be held on Tuesday, August 23 at 10:00 a.m. at the Trinity Congregation Church in Gloucester. Reverend Bentley will officiate. Burial will follow in the family plot in Beechbrook Cemetery, Gloucester.
Calling hours, at the Chesmore Funeral Home, 57 Hayden Rowe St., Hopkinton www.chesmorefuneralhome.com, will be Monday from 4:00 – 7:00 PM.
Memorial donations may be made in Jack’s name to Tufts University, 95 Talbot Ave, Medford, MA 02155.