John Herbert Lutley

John Lutley

John Herbert Lutley, son of Albert French Lutley and Martha Bullitt Lutley, was born on 10 February 1935 in Chefoo, China, as the fourth of six children, and died peacefully in his sleep on 8 May 2026 aged 91. He is survived by his wife, Heather, with whom he shared a nearly 68-year marriage, his three children (Tessa, Jennifer, and Richard), twelve grandchildren, and seventeen great-grandchildren.

John and his family emigrated to the US when he was ten years old, with a stopover in India along the way. He spent his teenage years in England, where he attended Dean Close School. Following the completion of his military service, he attended St John’s College, Cambridge University. He loved to play sports, and was a keen field hockey player, representing the University and achieving a ‘blue’ for playing in the first team. He went on to play county level field hockey in England.

After university, where he studied Natural Sciences, John became a metallurgist and embarked on a successful career in the precious metals industry. He worked for many years at Johnson Matthey, which took him first from England to Toronto, Canada in 1969, and then on to Malvern, Pennsylvania in 1979. He lived the rest of his life in the US, first and last in Pennsylvania, with stints in Washington, DC and Warrenton, Virginia in between. England remained somewhere he loved to visit for the rest of his life.

John was an avid gardener, with an enviable green thumb, and spent many a happy afternoon in his garden and greenhouse. Beyond the garden, he enjoyed golfing, spending time with his family, playing bridge (which he taught many of his grandchildren), solving sudokus, good food and wine, travelling the world, sharing stories of his travels and exploits, and watching sports. He was a Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies fan, but also remained a passionate cricket supporter throughout his life.

He spent many happy beach vacations with his family in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, where he and Heather owned a house that became the soul of their extended family life with their children and grandchildren. It is a place the family still loves to visit today.

He was extremely generous, and ever supportive of those he loved. As a true patriarch, he always had a good word of advice (whether you asked for it or not!), and he always wanted his loved ones to be happy. He will remain a great source of inspiration and strength to many of his grandchildren and other family members, who loved him just as deeply as he loved them.

Relatives and friends are invited to his Visitation 10:00-11:00 AM, Friday, June 12, 2026 followed by his Funeral Service 11:00 AM at the Donohue Funeral Home, 1627 West Chester Pike, West Chester, PA 19382. Interment Private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are requested to the St Jude Children’s Hospital, https://www.stjude.org/donate or to the White Horse Village Foundation, https://www.whitehorsevillage.org/foundation/