John Dutton

CORNWALL — On Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, John Kimberly Mumford Dutton, quietly died in the same home in which he was raised in Cornwall.  He was 93 years old. Born on Nov. 28, 1930, he was the third son of the late David Garland and Constance (Mumford) Dutton. 

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Yvonne, and their four children; Michael and his wife Karen, Seth and his wife Karen, Alison and her partner Jay, and Colin, as well as their grandchildren Lucas, Patrick, Caleb, and Meaghan.  He is predeceased by his siblings David, Arthur, and Cynthia. 

John was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and raised in Poughkeepsie, New York and Cornwall. He attended the Poughkeepsie Day School, the Hotchkiss School, Syracuse University and Babson College. After graduating from Babson, he worked briefly in the insurance business in New York City before heading west to Vancouver, British Columbia to start a long career in the lumber industry.

While in Vancouver, he met the love of his life, Yvonne McKee from Northern Ireland. They married in 1961 in Poughkeepsie, New York and began their married life in Tarrytown, New York.  Later, after moving to Toledo, Ohio, their first child was born.  In 1963 they returned to New York where John joined the A.C. Dutton Lumber Company, the family wholesale lumber business started in 1887 by his grandfather Arthur C. Dutton.  John spent the rest of his career in Poughkeepsie before retiring in 1995.  He and Yvonne moved to Cornwall in 1996 where John felt truly at home.

He thrived on hard work, caring for others, and providing for his family.  His many acts of quiet kindness may never be known to anyone other than the recipients, but he instilled in his children the same sense of charity toward others.  

John was a longtime board member of the historic Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery and the Dutchess County Chapter of the American Red Cross, as well as a long serving member of the vestry of the Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie.  In 1970, President Nixon appointed him to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Committee, a group of industry experts charged with protecting the economy against natural and manmade disasters.   

More often than not, John could be found outdoors, often creating excuses to putter around his beloved Cornwall home, usually while his entire family waited in the car to travel back to Poughkeepsie.  

For many decades, John cut cords of firewood to provide cozy heat to his family, even when home heating oil prices bottomed out.  He also spent many hours cutting hay and brush in the fields surrounding his home.  His children continue to honor his legacy by cutting firewood and clearing brush for no apparent reason other than “that’s the way we were raised.”   

He was able to regale friends and family with entertaining stories of his childhood and his experiences.  He was truly interested in people and celebrated when others succeeded. His smile was infectious. His sense of humor was uplifting. His good nature and sense of social responsibility stood out in a world rapidly losing both. 

No formal services are planned. His ashes will be buried at the convenience of his family at the North Cornwall Cemetery in Connecticut.  A memorial gathering will be held at a later date.