of Lunenburg; 61 LUNENBURG -- John W. Elliott, 61, of Lunenburg, died Saturday, January 22, in the Veterans Administration Hospital in West Roxbury after a brief illness.He was born in Fitchburg on January 18, 1950, son of the late, Wallace and Dorothy (Walsh) Elliott and has lived in Lunenburg all of his life. He graduated from Lunenburg High School in 1968 and received his associate degree from Mt. Wachusett Community College in Gardner and continued his schooling at Fitchburg State College.John was a Vietnam Veteran serving in the U.S. Navy from 1970 to 1974 followed with two years in the reserves. He was very proud of his time spent defending his country. He worked as a radar operator on the USS Wasp and DLG 19 USS Dale. His deployments took him into the Mediterranean, South American coast and became a Blue Nose when he crossed the Arctic Circle. As a family, we were thankful that he was not in direct combat and had the opportunity to return home to begin building and growing a family and career after his naval experiences.John quickly moved into the retail world beginning with F.W. Woolworths, and then Rich's Department Stores. He spent the past 14 years working as a retail consultant with Gordon Brothers in Boston. Throughout each of these companies he formed strong bonds and lasting friendships with so many colleagues. He always set high expectations for himself and his employees, but managed his teams with clear direction and passion.Throughout his life he always had true enjoyment in what the outdoors had to offer him no matter what time of year. He was an avid skier from a very young age. In the summers, you could always find him tending to a large garden, putting his carpentry skills to the test, drifting down rivers in his canoe, out on the golf course, spending family vacations soaking up the sun on the Maine coast and walking the beaches on the Cape and Nantucket. He recently took up fly tying and fishing. He was an antique car enthusiast and enjoyed time at local car shows. Regularly you would find him out for a quiet morning on Lake Whalom watching the sunrise while fishing and reading his newspaper.In his personal life, he made a strong commitment in nurturing, protecting, encouraging and helping everyone that was close to him. He cared for his mother since a very young age. He was always willing to lend a hand to those in need. He had a great sense of humor and contagious laughter that always filled a room.He leaves behind a few of the most important people in his life; the first one being the true love of his life, his dear wife Joan (Belliveau) Elliott, who he was lucky enough to celebrate 40 wonderful years of marriage with this past June. His oldest daughter, Lisa (Elliott) Mercier and her husband Jim of Sturbridge, his youngest daughter, Susan Elliott of Ashburnham and his two grandchildren, Nastassja and Deuce. He also leaves behind a sister, Mary Moores and her husband Peter of Reno, NV; a niece, Sara Lundgren of Sacramento, CA and many extended family and friends.The family would also like to extend a sincere thank you to the amazing team of compassionate doctors and nurses in the SICU at the VA Hospital who cared for John in his final days.ELLIOTT -- The funeral will be held on Saturday, Jan. 29, from the Sawyer-Miller-Masciarelli Funeral Home of Lunenburg, 763 Massachusetts Ave. with a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 AM in Our Lady of the Lake Church, 1400 Main St., Leominster. Burial will be in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Fitchburg. Calling hours in the funeral home will be held on Friday, Jan. 28, from 5 to 7 PM. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to The Fisher House Boston, PO Box 230, South Walpole, MA. 02071 which provided housing and support to the family during his illness. www.masciarellifamilyfuneralhomes.net