John Francis Peacock 12/30/1961 – 3/30/24

John Francis Peacock died on Saturday, March 30, 2024, from glioblastoma. John was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Frank John and Maxine Peacock. His father, known as Jack, was a salesman for the American Container Line (ACL) shipping company; his mother was a stay-at-home mom, raising John and his two younger sisters, Jennie and Rachel.

John was raised in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa and attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he earned a BS in Nuclear Engineering and a BA in Communication Arts - Radio, TV, and Film. John’s knowledge of film history and technique is well known to anyone who attended one of his Dinner & a Movie auction offerings.

John’s first job in the DC area was with the consulting actuarial firm Milliman & Robertson, where he was the first employee hired solely to manage IT. He left M&R when their offices moved from DC to Northern Virginia, declaring "I am not driving over that bridge every day." He went on to work for The Roman & Littlefield Publishing group, Message Systems/SparkPost, and Tesla Government (not THAT Tesla.) His extraordinary computer skills were entirely self-taught and intuitive.

John's mother was raised Lutheran and his father was raised Catholic, so John claimed "they split the difference and became Episcopalian." As a teenager he got a job at a pancake house on Sunday mornings to avoid going to church. As an adult he found his spiritual home in Judaism at Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation, officially converting in 2005. John became deeply engaged in the community, singing in the choir, managing AV during services and always available for anything that needed support. He also became a master hagba (the person who lifts the Torah) and excelled at blowing the shofar (the ram’s horn used on the High Holidays.)

John pursued many hobbies with great passion, including photography, baking sourdough bread, and collecting and enjoying single malt Scotch with friends. He also loved to travel, and in recent years, he and his wife Paula fulfilled a lifelong dream of spending a month in New Zealand. He also visited distilleries in Scotland, went on the JoCo Cruise (music & nerds at sea), and met and chatted with legendary Monty Python alum Eric Idle.

John leaves behind his grieving family, including his wife, Paula Lewis, his children Leah (Nick) and Sam (Melanie), and his mother and sisters, as well as many friends at Adat Shalom and elsewhere. John's only regret is that he will not be able to read to his future grandchildren.

Contributions can be made in John’s memory to World Central Kitchen, The New Israel Fund, and HIAS.