John Maurice Parkinson, 76 years young, passed away on November 29, 2019. John formerly resided in Newport, RI, and later Portsmouth, RI, after declining in his health. John was an avid sports enthusiast, an incredible photographer and storyteller wherever he traveled. He frequented the Mad River Valley for over five decades.
He is survived by his son Christopher J. Parkinson of Warren, VT, daughter Kerrin R. Parkinson of South Portland, Maine, and son Ryan S. Parkinson of Sterling, MA, and his brother Richard Parkinson and sister Anne Parkinson, all formerly from Sterling, Massachusetts. John Maurice Parkinson was born on February 10, 1943, in Clinton, Massachusetts, to his beloved parents Eugene Alexander Parkinson and mother Ruth Arlene Stuart.
John attended Wachusett Regional High School in Holden, MA, Class of 1961. John was a motorhead throughout his life. He built, raced cars and was always attending car and racing events. He coached lassie league softball and the all-star team his daughter played on. John also coached youth soccer, chaperoned many ski trips and skied worldwide. He lived to ski and sail travelling all over embracing any opportunity for adventure.
John held associate degrees in mechanical engineering from Worcester Junior College and project management from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He was a design draftsman, project manager and a metal building specialist. John managed projects for Shaw’s supermarkets, Big Y, Walmart stores and Marriot Long wharf resorts. He also operated several companies of his own -- Parkinson Associates in Sterling, MA, Advanced Building Concepts in RI, and a side apparel clothing business HOTTZZ International.
John also worked throughout New England for other prestigious contractors. Most notably John was the project manager for the construction of the Massachusetts State Archive and Records Center at Columbia Point in Boston, MA. He was also a planning board member in Sterling, MA, his hometown, and was an active member of the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission. John was also a National Association of Home Builder's and Rhode Island Builders' Association member and an active member of the Construction Specifications Institute and the National Fire Protection Institute.
On September 10, 2022, there will be a brief memorial ceremony at the South Fayston Cemetery on Bragg Hill at 2 p.m. A celebration of John’s lifestyle and accomplishments will follow for family and friends at 149 Roxbury Mountain Road in Warren, VT. All inquiries please email to
Please make any charitable donations to the Mad River Valley Ambulance Service, P.O. Box 305, Waitsfield, VT 05673.
