John B. Adams III

John B. Adams III, born on March 13, 1933, was sent peacefully to his eternal home on October 2, 2025, at age 92 surrounded by his loving family. John is survived by his three children and daughter-in-law:

Elizabeth Van Blargan of Scottsville, NY, Michael Adams of Phoenix, AZ, Douglas (Amy) Adams of Hilton, NY; four grandchildren: Craig P. Van Blargan, Keeley M. Van Blargan, Brendan J. Van Blargan, of Scottsville, NY, and Caitlyn M. Adams of Hilton, NY; loving partner Helene Bednarczyk of Greece, NY; and sisters: Margaret Guest of Penfield, NY, and Mary Kemp of Webster, NY; as well as Aunts Kathryn McSweeney of Webster, NY and Helen Boyer of CA; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

John, son of John B. Adams II and Mary M. Adams, grew up in Potsdam, N. Y. He attended Potsdam High School (H.S.) where he ran track and played football for the Potsdam “Sandstoners”. He graduated from H.S. in 1951 and attended Clarkson college. In 1955, upon graduating with a Civil Engineering degree, he had eight job offers and chose to work for the Buffalo Corps of Engineers where he had the exciting opportunity to lead as Design Engineer of the Saint (St.) Lawrence Seaway. Several months later, he was sent to Massena to oversee the construction operations of the Seaway as Foundation Engineer until he was drafted into the Army in 1956.

In March of 1958, John was honorably discharged from the Army after serving as an officer stationed in Okinawa, Japan. He immediately resumed work with the Buffalo Corps of Engineers as Project Engineer to complete the construction of the Seaway.

In 1960, the Army Corps of Engineers turned over operation and control of the Seaway to the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. At that time, John again had many job opportunities and chose to step away from the Seaway for five years to work as a lead engineer for the Aluminum Company of America. John planned this career strategy move knowing he would one day have the opportunity to return to the Seaway and did when they called him back in 1965 to be their Layout Engineer. From there, John was quickly promoted to Administrator, then to Chief Engineer. As Chief Engineer, John became widely known in the North Country as “Mr. Seaway.”

After 35 years with the Seaway, John decided to retire in 1995; he was very proud of his career and later was called by the History and Discovery channels to appear on their specials about the modern marvel of the Seaway. He also supplied all of the technical content about the Seaway for a children’s book.

John, during his time as Chief Engineer of the Seaway, also volunteered for the Salvation Army, as a consulting maintenance engineer for Sacred Heart Church, and as President of Massena Minor Hockey. He was featured in local newspapers not only for his work with the Seaway, but also for his ice-skating rink – which he designed and erected for thirteen years.

John also had second careers as an engineering consultant for Northeastern working on a large project for Corning, in Canton, N.Y. and also at Sears as an expert in the tool department. In 1999, he and his wife Nancy moved to Rochester to be near their family. John continued to work at Sears for twenty years until he retired again at the age of 81.

For the past twenty-five years, John has resided in Greece, N.Y., close to his daughter, Elizabeth, and son, Douglas, and his four grandchildren (Craig, Keeley, Brendan, and Caitlyn). He was very involved with his family and attended almost all of his grandchildren’s school and sports events. He especially enjoyed reading to his grandchildren and participating in lego and train projects when his grandchildren were young, taking trips with his grandchildren to Niagara Falls, the Adirondacks, and Letchworth State Park, taking yearly trips to the mall to buy school sneakers for the grandchildren, attending dance recitals (Caitlyn), and helping with home projects for his daughter, Elizabeth and son, Douglas.

Several years after his wife, Nancy, of forty-three years passed away, John continued to work at Sears where he met a lovely lady named Helene. He and Helene enjoyed traveling, cooking, and the outdoors for the past twelve years. He and Helene traveled to Italy, Switzerland, Texas, Louisiana, and many other places. They were always on the go.

Those who knew John will remember his boisterous and good-natured voice, his deep-rooted faith in the Lord, his impeccable mind (especially anything regarding the St. Lawrence Seaway and river!), his sincere willingness to help, and his generosity to all he encountered.

The Celebration of Life to honor John will be held (4-7 PM) Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at Farrell Ryan Funeral and Cremation Services 777 Long Pond Rd.

Funeral mass will be 10:30 AM Thursday, October 9th at Holy Cross Church. Interment at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. In his memory contributions can be made to Lollypop Farm. https://www.lollypop.org/ways-to-give/make-a-donation/