John Murray Colhoun - Obituary

ohn Murray Colhoun, 88, of Ivy Neck Farm, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, passed away on August 26, 2026. John’s wife Betty Albrecht Colhoun preceded him in death on September 17, 2024. John is survived by his four children Charles Murray, Brice Metcalfe (Amy), George Allen (Victoria), and Sara Catherine; his eight cherished grandchildren: Sara Marie, Charles Jr., Chloe, Thomas, Bodhi, William, John, and Matthew; and his half-sister Roberta Gwen. Born in Washington DC on May 17, 1938, John was the son of Charles Murray Colhoun and Sara Catherine (Kitty) Rigg Colhoun. When he was only nine months old, John tragically lost his father to a mining accident. During the WWII era, Kitty raised John with the helpful community of her mother and six siblings while she worked. In Annapolis John attended the Green Street Elementary School. John waited for his mother after school at his Uncle Linton’s yacht brokerage office in the Carvel Hall Hotel with additional kind and loving care by the famous Maitre d’ Marcellus Hall. When John was 10 years old, his mother Kitty married Roger V. Laynor, Chief of Maryland’s Alcoholic Beverage Division. John’s half-sister Roberta was born two years later. John also attended Elkridge Elementary School and Ellicott City Junior High. John enrolled in ninth grade at the Page School in Washington, DC and served as a Page Boy in the U.S. Supreme Court. John returned home to attend Howard High School where he graduated in 1957. He participated in Howard High’s Yearbook Committee and the Camera Club. During his high school senior year, John enlisted in the Army National Guard 121st Engineer Battalion as Private First Class and worked as Battalion photographer with a darkroom the National Guard built specifically for him. On the Monday after graduating from high school, John enlisted in the United States Air Force. He served in Texas, Guam, and New Hampshire as a jet engine mechanic from 1957 until he completed his service in 1961 and was honorably discharged with a rank of Air Force Service Airman Second Class. John’s training took place at Sheppard AFB, Texas followed by assignment with the 41st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, a key strategic bomber base for the Strategic Air Command. John not only serviced F86-D Sabre and B-47 bomber jet engines on Guam, but was the only airman out of 100 mechanics who could work on the personal T-33 jet of Brigadier General Jack J. Catton. After his service, John obtained his private pilot’s license and was a member of the Civil Air Patrol. John’s piloting came in especially handy when he would fly to the island Cariacou in the Grenadines to bring his Uncle Linton to the United States for cancer treatment. Following his Air Force enlistment, John worked for the National Security Agency (NSA) supporting the intelligence community. John effectively used his natural analytical skills as a pioneer in the evolution of computers. After retirement of the SR-71 Blackbird, a strategic reconnaissance aircraft, John moved to work at Goddard Space Flight Center as a Network Security Consultant to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). John then became the Senior Principal Ground System Engineer for the GOES/POES satellite ground systems. John inherited a love of sailing from generations of Rigg family sailors, starting with his tiny dinghy The Bullfrog. At work, he founded the NSA Sailing Club. A midwestern employee named Betty Albrecht joined the club, thinking she might enjoy the sport and sail the local waters. Before long, John and Betty became a couple and were married in a whiteout blizzard at Christ Church, West River on January 30, 1965. John’s mother Kitty passed away in 1966 from complications of cancer when he was 28 years old. As a 12th-generation resident of Anne Arundel County, John was directly descended from the Puritans at Providence and even before that, the first settlers at Jamestown, VA. John’s professional interests were equally matched by his dedication to his farm Ivy Neck in Maryland, his property in West Virginia, his passion for conservation, and his desire to teach early southern Anne Arundel County history. John could fill rooms with his captivating lectures, making history an entertaining subject. He could speak on a multitude of subjects from military battles, to steamships, to Native Americans, to church history. John gave an especially moving presentation on slavery that included primary documents proving emancipation of Ivy Neck slaves owned in 1843. And, with legal assistance John literally saved Ivy Neck Farm from developers in the 1960s. John was a lifelong member of Christ Church, West River. He served repeatedly on the Vestry, gave tours based on his primary research, and took a personal interest in ensuring the accurate preservation of the historic church and graveyard. John also served on the board of Anne Arundel County’s Soil Conservation District for many years. John and Betty were honored as the 1998 Soil Conservation Cooperators of the Year by Anne Arundel County and the State of Maryland for their conservation practices, including creation of a 14-acre riparian buffer along the Rhode River. But nothing could match John’s pride in his children and grandchildren. He fully absorbed each of their accomplishments, from the smallest hobby to professional achievements. John completely immersed himself in each grandchild, studying every interest they had in great detail and giving encouragement to them. He would gather and share articles about any subject or sport they were involved in, from photography, to baseball, to hunting. The memorial service will be held at Christ Episcopal Church, 220 Owensville Road, West River on Saturday, September 12 at 11 am. A celebration of John’s life will follow at the church Hall, 204 Owensville Road. In lieu of flowers, a memorial contribution may be made to Christ Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 531, Shady Side, MD 20764 or Hospice of the Chesapeake, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena, MD 21122.