Dr. John Joseph Fletcher, the beloved husband for 58 years of Mary Beth Fletcher, passed away on July 6, 2022 at the New Bedford Jewish Convalescent Home after a period of declining health.
Honored educator, esteemed public official, loving husband, and everyone's friend, John lived a life full of good fun and good works. A gentleman through and through, he treated all he met with respect and compassion. When he turned his beautiful smile on you and beamed his blue eyes in your direction, it was the only place you wanted to be. John's legacy of love and compassion will be remembered forever.
John was born on October 21, 1935 in Fall River, MA to Ralph and Margaret Fletcher, both teachers, and raised one of eight children in a boisterous Irish Catholic family with a passion for social justice and Democratic politics. With his marriage to Beth in 1963, he happily made his home in New Bedford, MA and dedicated himself to public school education and public service in his new community.
John graduated from B.M.C. Durfee High School in 1953 and was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 2013. He graduated from Bridgewater State College (now University) in 1958 and earned his Master's degree from Rhode Island College in 1962 and his doctorate from Boston University in 1982.
For fifty years, John was a teacher, principal and Title One Director in the Dartmouth, MA Public Schools and was nominated a National Distinguished Principal. He served as principal of the Job S. Gidley School and the George H. Potter School where his students and his staff loved him. And he loved them in return.
John spent his life working in the world of children, and he said that the privilege of seeing the world through their eyes for so many years made his life a much happier one. He was fond of saying that he was just as happy to be in school on the last day of his career as he was on the first day. Upon his retirement, the Potter School staff and faculty captured his essence in these words:
DR. JOHN J. FLETCHER
A TRUE EDUCATOR YOU HAVE THE EYES TO SEE AND THE LOVE TO NURTURE THE FINEST INSTINCTS OF MIND AND HEART IN BOTH CHILDREN AND COLLEAGUES
Following his retirement from education, John served as a member of the New Bedford School Committee for eight years and as Vice Chair for three consecutive terms. Politics was his second love but it was a perfect fit for his outgoing personality.
He enjoyed campaigning and going out into the neighborhoods of New Bedford and meeting families in this diverse community. A day of campaigning was usually followed by a stop at one of New Bedford's favorite eateries with a group of loyal supporters.
John was a member of the New Bedford Free Public Library's Board of Trustees for 29 years. In his honor, the Trustees of the New Bedford Free Public Library established the Dr. John and Mary Beth Fletcher Fund for Children's Books to put more books into more children's hands.
In 2008, the City of New Bedford and the Trustees of the New Bedford Free Public Library commissioned his portrait which now hangs in the Children's Room at the Library in “recognition of Dr. John Joseph Fletcher's many contributions to the children of Greater New Bedford." The ceremonial hanging of his portrait was one of the proudest moments of his life.
As a Trustee, he instituted the Books and Bears project, which provided free admission to Buttonwood Park Zoo for families with a library card.
John gave a lifetime of service to children, families, the elderly and the economically disadvantaged in greater New Bedford. A champion of the underdog, he contributed significantly to bettering the quality of life around him for five decades.
One of the original volunteers at the Market Ministries Homeless Shelter in New Bedford, he co-founded the Saint Mother Teresa Playground in New Bedford and Crossroads Preschool in Dartmouth.
He served as President of the Holy Family-Holy Name School Board and Co-Chair of its Building Restoration Fund. He headed the educational arm of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra when the Young People's Concert Series was started. John was involved with the Greater New Bedford Holocaust Commission of the Greater New Bedford Jewish Federation and did research at Yale University for his two-part television series on survivors of the Holocaust from New Bedford. He worked with Coastline Elderly and the Governor's Advisory Council on the Homeless.
John received numerous awards and recognition including the Real Hero Award from the American Red Cross and a Citation of Appreciation from the American Legion Post 1 New Bedford for "activities devoted to God and Country.”
A parishioner of St. Lawrence Martyr Church, he was a recipient of the Marian Medal from the Diocese of Fall River bestowed by Sean Cardinal O'Malley.
John is survived by his wife, Mary Beth (Mosher) Fletcher, "the wind beneath his wings”; his sisters, Ann Whalen and Margaret Grant; his brother Bernard; and many nieces and nephews. He was especially close with his nephew Timothy Charette and his wife Charlene, and their children Kaleigh, Kara and Cameron. He was predeceased by his sister Joan Charette, his brothers Ralph, Paul and William, and his brother-in-law William Mosher.
The family is extremely grateful for the compassionate care shown to John from the staff at the Jewish Convalescent Home and Community Nurse Home Care.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Lawrence Church, 565 County Street, New Bedford on Tuesday July 12, 2022 at 12 Noon. Burial will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Monday July 11, 2022 from 3-6 PM at the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park Street, New Bedford. In lieu of flowers, donations in John's memory may be made to the Trustees of the New Bedford Free Public Library, 613 Pleasant St., New Bedford, MA 02740. These donations will be used for the Dr. John and Mary Beth Fletcher Fund for Children's Books. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.