“John Jeremy de la Poer Bellew, 87, of Preston Hollow, NY passed away peacefully after a brief illness on Sunday, April 14, 2024, surrounded by his loving family.
John was born in London, England and was the son of Irish cartoonist The Honorable Patrick Herbert Bellew and his wife, The Honorable Catherine Moya de la Poer Beresford. As a young child, in order to escape the imminent risk of enemy bombing in England, John was sent to live with relatives in Canada and the United States. At the war’s end, he reunited with his parents and continued to live in the US. He graduated from The Lawrenceville School and then Princeton University, where he served in the ROTC.
After graduation from Princeton in 1958, John enrolled at The Wharton School. Once he received his MBA, he began his full-time active-duty service at the U.S. Army bases in Fort Bliss, Texas and Fort Dix, NJ. He was then promoted to a Reserve Commissioned Officer of the Army, ultimately rising to the rank of Captain.
Once John accepted his Reserve commission, he resumed his pursuit of a business career and accepted a role in the international banking division of The Chase Manhattan Bank. He worked in the Bank’s NYC offices for a few years but spent most of the next 20 years as an expatriate banker, beginning with an assignment in London. A few years later, he was relocated to the bank’s offices in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he met his wife, Cynthia. After their marriage, John and Cynthia remained in Johannesburg, where they welcomed the arrival of their son, John Patrick. The family proceeded to enjoy the adventure of several relocations for John’s career.
John’s next role took him back to NYC and he moved his family to Chappaqua, where they welcomed their daughter, Catherine Moya. Hong Kong was the next destination for the family, followed by a return to Chappaqua. John spent time on various responsibilities throughout the NYC branch network, at one point running Chase’s U.N. Branch.
John’s next position took the family to Dublin, Ireland, where they settled in the nearby town of Bray. Several years later, the family were thrilled when John’s next assignment brought them home again to NY. This time, the family chose to put down roots near Teatown Lake in northern Westchester County.
In addition to living on 4 different continents, John and his family delighted in travelling to several exotic locations for their vacations, such as the island of Bali in Indonesia and the Canary Islands off the northwest coast of Africa.
Upon John’s retirement, he and Cynthia found a home in the Catskill Mountains that allowed them to indulge their love of nature, gardening and antiquing. Their first move was to Roxbury, NY where they lived for 12 years before finally settling in the hamlet of Preston Hollow, NY, 24 years ago.
John loved the pets he had throughout his life and he also enjoyed interacting with the local wildlife in his yard. He delighted in showing visitors how the chickadees would eat the seeds from his hand, and how the chipmunk who lived in the front garden would appear when called. John also took much pleasure in finding “diamonds in the rough”, and this applied whether he was visiting antique shops or purchasing stocks. He spent many happy moments following the movements of the stock market while savoring a “McDonald’s hot” cup of strong coffee and a donut or other sweet treat.
John was an adoring husband to Cynthia, his wife of over 52 years. Sadly, Cynthia passed away in 2018. John was a devoted son, a loving brother, a wonderful father and a very proud grandfather. He is survived by his son John (Kathryn Downey) of Poughkeepsie, NY; his daughter Catherine Bellew-Morano (John Maffucci) and his grandson, John Ralph Morano, all of Hyde Park, NY; and his half-brother, Christian Johannsen of Miami, FL. John will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
In keeping with John’s wishes, there will be no funeral services; a private memorial service will follow at a later date. John wanted his friends and family to celebrate his life by remembering the happy times spent together. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Schoharie Valley Animal Shelter, PO Box 40, 304 Howes Cave Rd., Howes Cave, NY 12092 (schoharieanimalshelter.org)
To send an online condolence or for directions, please visit John’s obituary page at www.sweetsfuneralhome.com
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John, please visit our floral store.”
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Legacy.com 23 April 2024.