John Crighton

John Yearsley Crighton October 2, 1938 – January 31, 2022 John Yearsley Crighton, pastor, teacher, author, gardener, lover of children, stray animals, early music, stilton cheese and ice cream, passed away peacefully while listening to his favorite hymns after a long journey with Alzheimer’s.

John was born and raised in Romford, England, to George Wallace and Freda Henderson Crighton. At 15 he left home to work on the farm to which he had been evacuated during the London Blitz. John began preaching in village churches a year later. When he joined Her Majesty’s Army he became a medic in the paratroopers, a season of his life he often referenced with fondness and pride. Following his service, he attended agriculture college but never went into farming, as a summer trip to the USA became a lifelong stay. After spending a summer on staff at a camp in upstate New York, John’s love of rock climbing drew him to Colorado, where he enrolled in premedical classes at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and became active in Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF). A few months later he joined their staff and went into full time ministry.

In 1968, while on staff at Bear Trap, an IVCF camp, he met Betty Ann Bowers, who was also working for Intervarsity. They married less than a year later and in 1970 moved to Boston, Massachusetts to continue their ministry. After several years of leading Bible Studies and retreats at universities and colleges across New England, and guest preaching, he was called to the pastorate at Trinity Church Congregational, Bolton, MA, and moved there with his beloved wife and five children in 1976.

Serving at Trinity for 15 years, John was a gifted communicator of God’s word, his expository preaching drawing congregant and radio listeners alike. While pastor, John made lasting contributions to the local community. Deeply committed to education, John and Betty helped establish the classical Christian School, Imago, in 1981, and in 1985, he helped found New England Reformed Fellowship, a group of Reformed pastors from various denominations across New England. John and Betty moved to Cleveland Ohio in 1991, where he completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English and became an awardwinning teacher at Lorain Community College.

John retired in 2014. If not reading or talking about politics, theology, and culture, or listening to Bach or Wagner, he could be found tending his garden, his cherished cat Hamlet by his side.

John will be remembered for his deep longing for others to know Jesus Christ, his tremendous intellect and charming, charismatic personality. John and Betty’s ministry of hospitality is legendary, and will continue, but hours-long conversations around the dinner table with cheese and ice cream will not be the same without him.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Intervarsity Christian Fellowship or the Imago School.

https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/ImagoSchoolAssociation/Donate.html

Or, https://give.intervarsity.org/campusrevivalfund?utm_content=1&utm_campaign=CYE

The service will be live streamed for the public via the link on this webpage