Carpe diem

“Nothing is worth more than this day.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

M. John Storey, October 16, 1943 - November 26, 2022

With humility, grace, peace and the loving joy of his family’s constant presence, M. John Storey, Williamstown, MA, passed ahead on November 26, 2022. A beautiful storyteller and writer, forever ruminating and choosing the very best words for each occasion, he was editing his parting thoughts and themes to include in this final piece during his last weeks and days with us. Camp Dudley’s motto, “The other fellow first,” anchored him at age 11; it is no surprise that he shared too many tales of friendship and gratitude to include as a tribute to each of you here. Beloved by devoted, lifelong friends from Chatham, NJ, Camp Dudley, Williams College, Williamstown and Westport, NY—so many of whom visited and called these past months and weeks to cheer him on and cheer him up—each of you hold a special chapter, complete with vivid memories that he carries with him as comfort. For his teammates, bunkmates, classmates, colleagues, employees, caregivers, friends and family members, our Babo spent each and every day making life sweeter, kinder, and better for all of those other fellows in his life.

John’s world opened up through the world of sports as a young boy in Chatham, NJ. With deep reverence for all things baseball and the NY Yankees, his dad somehow arranged the surprise of a lifetime in 1953: a car ride in his mom’s oversized Buick from the nearby high school in Pleasantville to Yankees Stadium, with John sitting in the backseat next to Mickey Mantle himself. When his little league pitching arm was retired at age 13, he discovered basketball and soccer—(the same year he discovered the love of his life, Martha Mullendore, moving into the neighborhood a few houses away) eventually getting the chance to play both sports at Williams College. From the Admissions office to the classroom, the court to the soccer field, he learned the grace of “coming in second”—crediting these opportunities of patience as life’s best teacher. A fullback’s injury on the varsity squad prompted Williams soccer Coach Clarence Chaffee to call him up as a sophomore, eventually leading the team as a co-captain senior year. Coming in second for a Rotary fellowship gave him the chance to accept, instead, a scholarship to Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where he and his new bride, Martha, experienced a honeymoon year abroad, earning his Masters of International Affairs degree (John Hopkins SAIS, Bologna, Italy ‘66 and Washington, DC ‘67). He decided against a State Department USIA assignment to pursue a publishing career, first at Time Life International and then the Hearst Corporation (NYC)—a spot that opened up when the first choice candidate turned it down. John eventually jumped at the chance to follow his entrepreneurial spirit of adventure to Garden Way Inc., in Troy, NY, raising his children Jennifer, Jessica and Matthew along the way in Brooklyn, Princeton, Chatham, Ridgefield, CT and Williamstown. He and Martha founded the “Practical Gardner’s Newsletter” that eventually blossomed into “Storey’s Books for Country Living,” (Storey Communications, Inc./Storey Books) and a rural life of their own, planting their annual gardens and chasing chickens, dogs and ten grandkids on the family farm up on Lake Champlain—his favorite spot mowing many green acres atop his John Deere tractor. From 1985 to 1993 he authored four entrepreneurial books: (The Insider Buyout, co-authored with Donald Dubendorf; Starting Your Own Business; Inside America’s Fastest Growing Companies; and Taking Money Out Of Your Corporation), then rounding out his career with his marketing team at Berkshire Direct and relishing his time in his role as Development Director at Camp Dudley; he also loved working as a consultant to Camp Dudley and Williams College on publications near and dear to his heart.

John is survived by his loving wife, Martha—friend, girlfriend, wife, coparent, teammate, business partner, life companion, caregiver and true love since 1956 (married in 1965). Excerpted from his memoir and a final chapter on “Faith,” he writes:

“I was blessed with the inherent faith and confidence of my parents and have tried to pass it along to my children and grandchildren. I was further blessed with a life partner who shared and accentuated that faith. So I say, ‘Carpe diem’ regularly to each of my beloved family and to my friends...Your faith may not change the world. But, it will almost certainly change your life. Embrace it. Share it, and not just at your church or school, but in your community, in meetings, on your team, in the coffee shop. Discover just how infectious it can be.”

John’s three children and ten grandchildren inherit his many gifts; Jennifer (Jack) Gillis, St. Louis, MO; Jessica (Blair) Dils, Williamstown, MA; Matthew (Jessica) Storey, Westport, NY; Matthew Gillis, Thomas Dils, Sara Gillis, Miranda Dils, Charlie Gillis (predeceased, 2018), Sam Dils, Henry Gillis, Ellie Storey, Carter Storey and Rachel Storey. Carpe diem to you all, and remember to “keep telling the stories.” (End each day with a sip of Canadian Club, spirits for your spirit…even better: your alcohol-free delight of choice. He is so proud of you.) He is survived by his sweet big sisters, Judy Edgar and Helen Barrow and his brother-in-law, Joe Mullendore, along with many adoring nieces, nephews and their extended families.

Losing grandson Charlie in 2018 was losing a part of all of us, ushering in a marked decline in John’s deterioration with cancer. In his chapter on “Grief,” he rides along with Charlie on their trusty friend, his John Deere tractor. (You can find his beautiful tribute and poem to Charlie in the Memories & Condolences section below.)

His most treasured awards came from his beloved Camp Dudley and Camp Kiniya. Receiving the CDA Man of the Year Award (now Person of the Year) in August, 2000, for his “dedication, deep concern for others, and commitment to the camp motto, ‘The other fellow first,’” was a profoundly satisfying tribute and honor. The Lifetime Service Award was created “to honor individuals who have selflessly given of their personal time, talent and treasures throughout their lives for the betterment of Camp;" the first one was given to #8804 John and #18204 Martha Storey in August, 2019 “for their enduring and loyal service to Camp Dudley and Camp Kiniya, (and) will be named in perpetuity to all future recipients as the John and Martha Storey Lifetime Service Award.” His last wishes included this important guiding light: “One can never give back as much to Dudley as Dudley can give to you.” He let us know that he was up and ready for the annual summertime Dudley parade in his last days.

Babo’s optimism always found him chasing sunshine. The astounding lessons of thinking and speaking under pressure he took from the small slip of paper containing the single word “Goethe,” handed him by Prof. Connelly in his Williams Public Speaking class (he then proceeded to speak eloquently for two minutes about the origins of this world-renowned cheese), prepared him better than anything else; he always strived to do his best as a lifelong student and mentor to so many, and wanted us all to remember to “stick with your passions; you may not be the best in everything, but if you are enjoying it as you go along, it makes all the difference.” We are all blessed with the light and love of his indelible life.

“More light, more light! Open the window so that more light may come in.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s famous last words

In honor and memory of John and in lieu of donations, please find ways to uplift and honor the other fellows in your life as you go. Call them, write to them, be with them while you can. Contributions will be graciously accepted at Camp Dudley and Camp Kiniya (Westport, NY & Colchester, VT) and the Berkshire Immigrant Center (Pittsfield, MA). (Links to these organizations are in the Memorial Gifts tab on this site.)

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