John Macy 1945 - 2026

John Gilbert Macy passed away January 9, 2026, in his home on St. Croix after living over a decade with Parkinson’s disease, with his beloved life partner Jeanette Lorenzen by his side. He is survived by his three children, Kimberly Macy, John-Paul Macy, and Jennifer Macy; son-in-law, Rick Miller; grandchildren, Calvin Macy, Oliver Macy, Cosette Macy, Claire Miller, and Mable Sumner; his sisters, Gail McCollom, Shirley Macy, and Marilyn Green; brother-in-law, Dick McCollom; and countless dear friends.

John was born March 13, 1945, to Patricia [Sherlock] Roberts and Gilbert Roberts in McMinnville, Oregon. After Gilbert, a Navy pilot, was killed in WWII, John was raised by his mother and father, Paul Macy, who adopted him. As a child, John moved with his family to Newport Beach, California, graduating in 1963 from Newport Harbor High School, where he played football and ran track. He went on to study Business at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where he started a successful local Chapter of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, still active with over 1,200 members today. There, he met Zita Kudlacik, whom he eventually married after graduating in 1967. Together, they had three children: Kimberly, John-Paul, and Jennifer. Living in Oregon and California, John worked at several jobs, including at a phone company, as a manager for Marlin Boats, and as an owner/operator of a service station. In 1979, he moved to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, after he and Zita divorced.

It is there that John was able to pursue his life-long passion for boating as a career. He worked his way up from crew to captain, eventually establishing his own company, Big Beard’s Adventure Tours. Becoming well known on the island as Captain Big Beard, John took thousands of visitors to experience the exquisite beauty of Buck Island and its reef, and presided over the marriages of more than 1,100 couples.

In 2001, John met his partner in love and life, Jeanette Lorenzen, in Amity, Oregon. Once John retired in 2016, he began to spend more time between his home on St. Croix and his childhood home of McMinnville. He and Jeanette enjoyed time together, visiting friends and family across the U.S. Even in his retirement, John remained impactful in the communities in which he was connected, even continuing to greet Big Beard’s boats at the dock when on the island. He had a larger-than-life personality and was deeply committed to maintaining connections with friends and family regardless of distance. Relationships were paramount to him, which he made clear through his unique, widespread generosity in sharing his knowledge, time, and care with others.

Burial services will be limited to immediate family. Celebration of Life events will be planned on St. Croix and on the West Coast at a future date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to one of the below organizations:

· St. Croix Environmental Association: https://www.stxenvironmental.org/
· The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research: https://give.michaeljfox.org/give/421686/#!/donation/checkout
· Parkinson’s Foundation: https://www.parkinson.org/how-to-help