Obituary: John William Annan

May 31, 1930 – November 13, 2024

John William Annan, age 94, passed away peacefully in his home in Palm Beach, Florida, on November 13, 2024. He had been homebound for several years and finally succumbed to respiratory failure while surrounded by his loving stepchildren, Allison Kent Bourke, Hewlett Kent, and his devoted caregivers.

John, “Jack,” as he was known to friends and family, was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 31, 1930. His parents, David Hugh Annan and Mary Staley Annan, moved from Chicago with him and his younger brother, Michael Staley Annan, to Lake Forest, Illinois. Jack attended the Bell School in Lake Forest until 1944 when he went to the Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, at which time his younger sister, Barbara Mary Annan, was born. Jack attended Colorado College and graduated with a B.A. from Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, in 1952.

In 1953, Jack entered Gunnery Officer’s Ordnance School in the U.S. Navy and served aboard the cruiser, the S.S. Albany, as a Lieutenant J.G. during the Korean War. He was awarded the National Service Defense Medal for his service. Upon his return to the United States, Jack attended the University of Chicago and graduated in 1956 with a Master’s degree in history.

Jack, a private investor, enjoyed his homes in Aspen, Colorado, and Florida, where his family had wintered for many years, initially in Gulf Stream and then in Palm Beach. Jack was a member of the Bath and Tennis Club, the Everglades Club, and the Old Guard. He was a proud member of the Palm Beach Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. He served as a Trustee on the Board of his alma mater, the Hill School.

Jack was a sportsman through and through, excelling in tennis, golf, and skiing, a sport he taught at Aspen Highlands, Colorado, with Stein Erickson. Jack’s greatest passion was sailing, and his father, a captain in the U.S. Navy, encouraged this interest. In 1940, the family took the boys out of school and lived on a ship visiting South America, with their Aunt Isabelle Annan, an English teacher, to tutor them. Jack recalled how happy he was when the crew let him polish the ship’s brass. He commissioned a catamaran, the Bikini, to be built in England and sailed her back to the United States, taking her to Bermuda, the Caribbean, and annually along the East Coast for many years.

Jack was a Life Master in bridge and an accomplished backgammon player. He was an active volunteer at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Palm Beach and at the Palm Beach Police Department.

In 1989, Jack married the love of his life, his wife of 31 years, Hope Parkhurst Kent, in Palm Beach. They lived in marital bliss until she predeceased him in 2020.

Jack is survived by his sister, Barbara Mary Annan of Rapid City, SD; his children, Douglas Gorter of Delray Beach, FL, and Louise (Gorter, Hammer) Johnson of Underwood, WA; and grandchildren, Audrey Gorter of Cleveland, TX, Elisabeth Gorter of Cleveland, TX, Lily (Hammer) Luna of Phoenix, AZ, Phoebe Hammer of Portland, OR, Stacey Kimball Gorter of Philadelphia, PA, and Bradley Robert Gorter of Lancaster, PA; and his great-grandchildren, Leila Luna and Dario David Luna of Phoenix, AZ. He will be deeply missed by his beloved stepchildren, Eliot Hewlett Kent of Palm Beach, FL, and Allison Kent Bourke of Greenwich, CT; and his step-grandchildren, Samantha Kent Merriman of Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Ashley Kent Dylan of Los Angeles, CA, Lesea (Bourke) Berry of Manhattan, NY, Frederic (Ricky) Avery Bourke IV of Manhattan, NY; and great step-grandchildren, Deliah Dove Dylan of Los Angeles, CA, and Hudson Harrison Bourke of Manhattan, NY. He will also be deeply missed by his niece, Phaedra Hanson Annan of Braintree, MA, and grandnephew, Hunter Bode Erlick of Tamarac, FL.

Jack is predeceased by his parents, David Hugh Annan of Palm Beach, FL, and Mary Staley Annan of Lake Forest, IL; his son, John William Gorter of Ames, IA; and his brother, Michael Staley Annan of Davao, Philippines.

Jack’s cremains will be interred with those of his wife, Hope Parkhurst (Kent) Annan, with the Annan family in Lake Forest Cemetery in Illinois. A memorial service is being planned for April 2025.