Obituary of John David Forbes Petch

John David Forbes Petch, age 58, beloved husband of Heather Hardy Petch, passed away suddenly on Sunday, September 16, 2018.

In addition to Heather, his best friend, soul mate, and wife of 31 years, John's memory will be cherished by their two children Kayley Petch and her love Michael Carberry-Santacroce, and John Charles Forbes (Charlie) Petch and his love Kyla Pelletier; his father John William Forbes Petch and partner Lynn Porsche; sister Deborah Petch Baker and husband Neil Wassner; his nephew and niece Alexander Carloni, and his love, Christine Khoo, and Kati Carloni and husband Andrew Mayo; his mother-in-law Judith Hardy Olson; as well as in-laws Scott and Mary Ann Hardy and niece and nephew Madeline and Connor Hardy. He was predeceased by his mother Lorna Brown Petch and siblings Nancy and Derek Petch.

John was born in Miami, FL, raised in Pound Ridge, NY, and had been living in Fairfield for the past 24 years. He attended Fox Lane High School in Pound Ridge, NY and graduated from Principia College with a degree in Business Administration and Studio Art.  While in college, John played football and rugby, was active in many organizations and leadership roles on campus, and spent time backpacking through Europe and along the Hawaiian Nā Pali coastline.  He received his MBA from the University of New Haven and most recently founded Petch Consulting where he leveraged his extensive background in Analytics and Category Management to bring valuable, actionable insights to his clients. 

In his unwavering support for his children while they were growing up, John attended innumerable concerts and plays, and volunteered to coach baseball, softball, lacrosse, and Pop Warner Football. He would often be seen offering enthusiastic encouragement from the sidelines even when he wasn’t there in an official capacity.  He was also a devoted and active member of his church and beloved member of the community. 

John’s sunny disposition, goodness, and sense of humor were a light to everyone he met.  He loved deeply and extended this love freely to family and friends alike. His favorite things included spending time with his family, dinners at the beach, his granddogs, a good story, and an awful(ly good) pun. As John would often say, “Shine on, friends!”

A memorial service celebrating John's beautiful life will be held on Saturday October 13th at 12:30 PM in the Jacky Durrell Pavilion, 401 Fairfield Beach Road, in Fairfield with a reception to immediately follow. Friends may greet his family from 11:30 AM until the time of service.

His family would prefer memorial contributions to: Principia College (principiagiving.org), ACLU (aclu.org), or Water.org. For travel directions, or to sign his guest register, please visit www.LeskoPolkeFuneralHome.com