John D. Auger

John David Auger

Devoted husband, father, and grandfather John David Auger was born on May 11, 1945, in Nottingham, England, to John and Doreen (née Marshall) Auger. When John was still an infant, the family moved to New York City, living first in Brooklyn and then in Queens. High school found him riding two subway lines and a bus all the way to Chelsea to attend the highly respected, all-boys Catholic prep school Saint Francis Xavier. There, John swam competitively — though, as he liked to joke, not quite competitively enough to win any heats — but his dives (to his kids) were always breathtaking, with nary a splash.

John attended the University of Detroit, majoring in history with a dual minor in philosophy and psychology. He went on to earn two master's degrees — one in history from the University of Scranton, and one in international relations from the University of Southern California. He served his country for over 28 years, rising through increasingly demanding command and staff positions before retiring from the U.S. Army as a colonel. It was Army life that took him to Fort McClellan, Alabama, where he and his best friend and fellow officer, Jack Charlesworth, met two sisters. John liked to thank Jack for letting him marry the beautiful brunette — his “little princess” Nickie Ann Schmitt, whom he wed on January 18, 1969. Military life carried John, Nickie, and their eleven children to Pennsylvania (Scranton, Indiana, Carlisle), Kansas (Fort Leavenworth — twice!), California (Fort Ord), and Germany (Garmisch-Partenkirchen).

John was a tea drinker, the caregiver for a long-lived goldfish named Lazarus, and a keen crossword puzzler who loved wearing his "Great Dads Get Promoted to Grandpa" T-shirt. He will be remembered for his strong work ethic, his unassuming intellect, his unwavering moral compass, his quirky and witty sense of humor, and his steadfast devotion to family. Key examples:

Work ethic: Busboy at 14. Soldier for decades. And when he "retired" from the Army, John just kept working — consulting for SAIC, then Booz Allen Hamilton. The man simply didn't stop.

Intellect: John loved busting out $5 words; even in the ICU, a nurse remembered that he taught her the meaning of "germane." But for all his phenomenal vocabulary, he'd never have described himself in such glowing terms.

Moral Compass: John was a man of deep faith who loved Jesus. He taught Sunday school for children and led small-group Bible studies for adults, and he gave his time to the local soup kitchen in whatever city the family called home. He could talk with anyone — and would, no matter what they looked like. His hand was always outstretched, meeting new faces and old friends alike, and his hospitality extended even to hosting international military families in his home. That same generosity showed up in small ways too: John clipped coupons just to buy cat food and dog food for the neighbors' pets.

Humor: If the phone rang during dinner, John would pick it up and answer with a chant — "In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti" — the Catholic Trinitarian blessing, delivered with perfect comic timing.

Dedication to family: John attended thousands of sports games (and often coached them), ran load after load of laundry, packed school lunches with sandwiches wrapped haphazardly yet somehow thoroughly in plastic wrap, and handled the grocery runs — menstrual pads and diapers in the same cart, much to his good-natured chagrin.

At every stage of his children's lives, John was involved — lending money when it was needed, buying everyone's favorite food and drink when they visited. He made eggs and SOS on Saturday mornings during big family gatherings and took his grandkids out for ice cream more times than anyone could count.

In short, John did whatever his family needed to thrive.

John is survived by his wife and ten of his children: Tanya (Andrew Kuan), John (Mary), Natalie Altvater (David), Allison (Matthew Brindle), Tamara (Samuel Wagner), Valerie (Robert Rome), Vanessa, Matthew Auger-Williams (Rebecca), Nickolas (Kallie Derouin), and Daniel (Yan Gao). His son David passed away in 2020. John's grandchildren include Lorelei, John, Joseph, Ashley, Avalyn, Skye, Jane, Levi, Liam, Evan, Seth, Tristan, Haley, Tyler, and Nathaniel.

John is interred at Westminster Cemetery in Carlisle, PA, near his son David.