John Quincy Adams Doolittle, Jr.

 John “Jay” Quincy Adams Doolittle Jr, 86, of Pray, Montana, passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 7, 2025, with his loving family by his side.

 Jay was born on January 24, 1938 to John Q.A.Doolittle and Mary Arthur Batcheller in Albany, NY. Jay grew up in Menands, NY and graduated with honors from St. George’s School in Middletown, RI, where he also played varsity hockey and varsity tennis. He went on to study at Williams College and graduated with honors in 1961 with a double major in French and English. He also earned a Master’s Degree with honors in French from Middlebury College in 1962, a degree with honors in Contemporary French Literature from the Sorbonne in Paris in 1962 and finally, a degree with highest honors from l’Institut des Professeurs de Francais from the Sorbonne in 1969. 

 Jay met his wife of 58 years, June Dallery, on the Castel Felice, a ship headed to France, on June 18th, 1965. The ship hit a storm, leaving all of the 1300 passengers in their rooms, with the exception of Jay and June who, upon seeing that they were the only two passengers who’d arrived for dinner, decided to dine together. In a Titanic-like setting, they had the bar to themselves and enjoyed an entire orchestra playing just for them. It was a wonderful evening, and exactly one year later, they were married. Jay and June moved to Middletown, RI, where they raised their three children; John, Andrew, and Lauren. 

 Jay returned to St.George’s School to teach French from 1962-1968 and served as the head of the Modern Language Department from 1969-1972. He was then hired as the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid where he served until 2003. Jay was a tireless advocate and pioneer for diversity. Each year, he visited schools in the U.S. and in many other countries, recruiting students from a variety of cultural and economic backgrounds. Jay took a sabbatical in Gardiner, Montana in 2003-2004 before returning to teach English at St.George’s from 2004-2006. He also coached varsity hockey and tennis, the two sports he loved the most. During Jay’s tenure at St.George’s, he also served first as Director, then as Vice-President and finally as President of the Secondary School Admission Test Board, (SSATB.) In 1987, he was awarded the Bretnall Award, given each year to a leader and educator who made significant contributions to the field of admission. Jay also served as a trustee for the New School in Middletown, RI from 1979-1983. 

 When Jay and June retired to Pray, Montana in 2006, Jay continued to fill his life with reading, writing, storytelling, fishing, gardening, games, sports, travel, and a love of all Boston sports teams. Jay’s biggest accomplishment will always be the ways in which he loved his family. Through his published and unpublished short stories, his letter writing, his yearly storytelling in Canada, through family summer drives across the country to Montana, and on pack trips into the Montana wilderness, through family adventures, foraging, hunting, gathering and fishing the Yellowstone River, through his attendance at all of his children’s countless sporting events and theatrical and music performances, through his readings and writing with the grandchildren, through his wisdom in the garden and on the river, through his toasts at all of our holiday gatherings, his wedding speeches, graduation speeches, and lectures about sports, through his love of our countless pets (especially his dogs Willis and Papi), through our talks on the deck over coffee or shucking peas, through his love and knowledge of family history and his listening, love and care, we all learned so much. Everything he shared with us he did with a sense of humor and with a sense of what is right for the world, but most of all, with love.

Jay was predeceased by his brother, Hiland G.B. Doolittle, Jr and his sister, Mary Arthur Beebe. He is survived by his brother Peter Doolittle of Cropseyville, NY. Deeply committed to his family, Jay is also survived by his loving wife, June Doolittle. He will be greatly missed by his three children, John Doolittle and his wife, Erica Doolittle, of Averill Park, NY, Andrew Doolittle and his wife, Laura Doolittle, of Pray, MT, and Lauren Doolittle and her husband, Todd Weldon, of Shrewsbury, MA. Jay, also known as “PapaDoo,” will be forever cherished and remembered by his five adoring grandchildren, Jackson, Hunter and Isabella Doolittle, of Averill Park, NY, along with Daisy and Lila Doolittle, of Pray, MT. 

A celebration of Jay’s life will be held at a later date. To leave condolences for Jay’s family, please visit https://www.franzen-davis.com/obituaries.