John Thomas Lucas
John Thomas Lucas was born in 1940 and grew up in Shepherdstown, WV.
He was the son of the late Samuel Brooks Lucas and Nancy Small Lucas. He loved living in Shepherdstown with his brother David G. Lucas (1942 – 2018) and graduated from Shepherdstown High School in 1958, after playing almost every sport his school had to offer.
During his senior year of high school, he was approached by a minor league baseball scout from the Pittsburgh Pirates and asked to attend a try-out to be a pitcher for the team. John recalled, “it rained that day, so I took it as a sign to go to college.” John received his Bachelor’s Degree from West Virginia University and his Master’s Degree from Duke University.
During a short stint with the US Government (Forest Service) in the 1960’s, John became intrigued by the stock market and started a new career as a Financial Advisor with PaineWebber, Jackson, & Curtis Inc. (now UBS Financial Services) in 1968. He transferred to Lombard Securities in the early 2000’s where he continued to work tirelessly for his clients until 2021, when only health problems could take him away from his five-decades-long career as a stockbroker.
John enjoyed sports (especially baseball), exercising, and most of all socializing. He was an excellent Financial Advisor and really had a knack for creating successful stock and bond portfolios; but above all, John absolutely loved spending his days talking with his colleagues, clients, and his dear friends. He was an active member of the Martinsburg Rotary Club for decades and attended almost every meeting.
John is survived by his wife of 55 years, Judy H. Lucas; his two daughters, Suzanne L. Crawley and her husband Michael of Ashburn VA, Molly K. Lucas and her husband Scott Murray of Seattle WA; and his two grandchildren Brooks and Aleta Murray of Seattle WA. Brooks is named after John’s father and is an avid baseball player.
John died peacefully on Jan. 4, 2022. Special thanks and admiration to the Berkeley Medical Center for taking such good care of him in these difficult times for health workers.
A memorial and celebration of life will be held at a future date when conditions are safer for family and friends in relation to weather and the pandemic. Details forthcoming.
Online condolences may be sent to www.rosedalefuneral.com. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations may be made to: The Cal Ripken Senior Foundation (www.ripkenfoundation.org) The Shepherdstown Volunteer Fire Department (shepherdstownfiredepartment.com) The Martinsburg Rotary Club (martinsburgrotary.com).