John E. Bock

John E. Bock Orange – John E. Bock, 86, of New Athol Road, died Sunday, February 22, 2015 at his home.      John was born in Boston, MA, May 27, 1928, the son of Arlie and Sophia (Eastman) Bock.  He grew up in Cambridge and Harvard (Still River Section), graduating from Proctor Academy in Andover, NH in 1946.  He attended Babson College in Wellesley from 1947-1948 for their one-year business program and in 1948 entered the Management Apprentice Training Program at the Union Twist Drill Company, graduating in 1952.   Following his marriage to Shirley in September of 1956 they moved to Petersham until 1962.  They then lived in Holden from 1962 to 1988 at which time they moved to the Knowlton family home on Chestnut Hill Avenue in Athol which he and his wife completely restored following his retirement.  Since July of 2007 they have resided at Pioneer Place Condominiums where he was elected president of the Board of Trustees in July 2010.      John was superintendent of the Drill Shop in Athol at the Union Twist Drill and was a member of the Association of the Society of Tool and Manufacturing Engineers, Chapter #100.   He previously worked in Holden where he became Manager of Facilities and Capital Equipment at Reed Rolled Thread Dye Company from 1962 until his retirement in 1988.       While living in Holden he was a member of Chaffins Congregational Church, the Holden Planning Board and served on the local Boy Scout Troop Committee.  After a disastrous problem with a full sized back hoe in the back yard he built his own back-hoe on the back of a garden tractor which became known as the “Bock-hoe.”  After retirement and moving back to Athol he was a member of the Athol Congregational Church serving on a special finance committee and with his wife co-chaired the garden booth at the annual church fair, also working on many church projects.  He was a member of the Athol Finance Committee and Capital Planning Committee.  In 2007 he was awarded the Margaret Grazis Award for Citizen of the Year.  John was a life-long railroader collecting HO model trains, a member of the Amherst Railway Society, and a life member of the National Model Railroad Association, attending many national conventions.   He developed “Easyline,” a very stretchy thread-size material for modeling telephone lines, model ship riggings, model airplane wing struts and other small diameter applications.  Easyline is sold on spools in appropriate colors the world over exclusively by Berkshire Junction of Adams, MA.  John was also a charter member of the Petersham Curling Club, enjoyed tennis, downhill and cross country skiing and hiking in the Quabbin.       He leaves his wife of 58 years, Shirley (Knowlton) Bock, two sons, David Bock and his fiancée, Donna White of Athol and Dana Bock and his wife Lillian of Ashuelot, NH; a foster son, Jesse Dupray and his son Konnor.          Funeral services will be held Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 11:00 A.M. at Higgins-O’Connor Funeral Home, 146 Main St., Athol with the Rev. Dr. Beverly Prestwood-Taylor officiating.   A calling hour will be held from 10:00 A.M. until the time of the service and burial will be at Silver Lake Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations may be made in John’s name to: The Athol Congregational Church, “Book of Memory” 1225 Chestnut St., Athol, MA  01331 or the Amherst Railway Society, David Royce, Treasurer, P.O. Box 247, Munson, MA  01057-0247. For further information or to share a memory with the family go to: www.higginsoconnorfuneralhome.com. $(document).ready(function(){ });