John Paine Ganson

John Paine Ganson of Lincoln, Massachusetts died unexpectedly on February 26, surrounded by family. John was born in Boston in 1937 and raised in Weston; he was a graduate of Fessenden School, Phillips Andover Academy, Harvard University, and Harvard Business School—although in reality, John’s education did not end there. He possessed a vibrant and life-long intellectual curiosity that was perhaps his most defining trait, and he will be remembered as a perpetual storyteller and hobbyist, enthusiastic conversationalist, and passionate collector of storied personal artifacts and human connections.

Out of HBS, John began a financial management career in Boston, at Cabot Corporation and Scudder, Stevens and Clark, where he worked on one of the first money market funds. But John’s curiosity would prompt a career shift toward corporate photography and portraiture, and in 1986, John opened Color Services, a pro photo lab in Needham, Mass, with his wife, Janet. Color Services became the premier lab in New England, known for its high-quality film processing and production of fine art for the world’s top galleries, museums, and personal collectors until its closing in 2017. John also produced a wonderful portfolio of fine art photographs himself, which included landscapes taken on his family farm in Vermont, as well as on more exotic trips to China, South America, and along the Trans-Siberian Railroad. His portrait subjects included Jorge Luis Borges, Carlos Fuentes, and many more business executives and friends.

When not in his darkroom or woodshop, John could often be found in his drysuit.  He took up scuba diving as a hobby, and pursued it with the same devotion he brought to photography, woodworking, and other passions. He became a member of numerous diving organizations and groups in the Boston area. Most of John’s diving was in cold water: from Gloucester to Maine, and most summers, on the wrecks off of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. He also ventured into international waters, diving on the wrecks of the German fleet scuttled in Scapa Flow in Scotland, and on a storm shipwreck of a Spanish ship in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

John was predeceased by his brother, Mack, and his mother and father, Charles and Carol Ganson. He leaves behind his wife of 48 years, Janet, their two sons Adam and Jay; Jay’s wife Leslie, and John’s two grandchildren, Danny and Lily. He is also survived by his sister Carol, sister-in-law Julia, and their children and grandchildren.

A celebration of John’s life will be held on Friday, March 31, 2023 at the Pierce House, 17 Weston Road in Lincoln, Mass., from 4–7 p.m.  In lieu of flowers the family asks you to consider supporting the Native Plant Trust (www.nativeplanttrust.org)

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