The Honorable Ambassador John K. Menzies passed peacefully on March 26, 2022 in Morristown, New Jersey. He is survived by his brother Jim, his daughters Lauren, Alexandra, Morgan, and beloved granddaughter Dylan.
John was born on November 26, 1948 in Pittfield, Illinois to Pastor James Menzies and Iridell Fisher. He grew up humbly with limited means in the midwest. His parents instilled in him a profound sense of duty, and an enduring commitment to the service of others. He lived a storied life with notable diplomatic and academic achievements, but is remembered for his loyalty, sense of fun, gentle nature, generous spirit, and kind heart.
He graduated with a Master of Arts in German from the University of Arkansas. As a graduate student studying German, he met fellow graduate student Elizabeth McNamara, who became his wife of 27 years and the mother of his children. He earned a doctorate in German from the University of California, Berkeley.
John launched a long and distinguished career with the Foreign Service, and spent 20 years working as a diplomat, beginning as a Junior Officer in Budapest, Hungary in 1981. John and Liz spent the next several years in Europe and welcomed his first daughter, Lauren, in Vienna, Austria in 1984. While serving as the Deputy Public Affairs Officer in East Berlin, Germany he welcomed his second daughter, Alexandra, in 1986. The following year, he served as the Public Affairs Officer in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he helped found the American University of Bulgaria. His third daughter, Morgan, joined the family in Berkeley, California in 1988. John loved spending time with his three daughters, raising them with a dose of mischief, and profound sense of duty.
For the next few years, John held several positions with the State Department in Washington D.C. and at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York. In 1994, John took one of the defining steps in his career by making the sacrifice to leave his family and serve in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina. John was nominated to be the Ambassador to the U.S. Embassy Sarajevo in 1996, where he worked tirelessly to bring peace to the region, even going so far as to sleep on a cot next to his desk in that city ravaged by war. Alongside Richard Holbrooke and Warren Christopher, he constructed the Dayton Accords, bringing peace and stability to Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 2001-2002, he took another critical role as Chief of Mission in Kosovo during a formative period following the conflict, where he organized humanitarian relief efforts for Kosovar refugees.
Following an illustrious 21-year career in the Foreign Service, he retired in 2002. Throughout his time in the Foreign Service, John always upheld his religious principles and focused his efforts on the service of others.
John next moved into academia, beginning his academic career in 2002 as the President of Graceland University, a Community of Christ college in Lamoni, Iowa. John’s passion for working with young people, paired with his international connections, allowed him to flourish in this role and help students attend the university from around the world, including Kosovo. In 2007, he became Dean of the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University, a role he filled until 2013. He was known for exciting new global opportunities that he helped develop for students, and the program benefited from a new graduate emphasis on post-conflict stabilization and reconstruction. He truly believed in the power of building relationships and practicing diplomacy, and his academic career always focused on the students. As one of his speeches to students during that time period stated, “Act yourselves; become part of the story. Oddly, I’ve just described what diplomacy does (in part), as well. It isn’t over til it’s ONE – peace, not pieces.” His life and career were dedicated to spreading those ideals.
From 2018 through 2021, he served as President of the American University of Kurdistan and then the Vice President for International Relations at the American University of Iraq – Baghdad. His true passion while in Iraq was enriching the lives of Yazidi orphans and ensuring they had the support and medical attention they needed.
John’s personal life was one of goofiness and fun. There was nothing he loved more than a good corny joke or pun, and spending time playing Nintendo 64 or Uno with his daughters. His kindness also extended to animals, and he was very fond of feeding the raccoons, birds, and squirrels at his home in Hackettstown, New Jersey. The people that truly knew John agree that he had the sweetest soul and will miss the warm, joyous smile that invariably stretched across his face.
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Scott McClain says
March 31, 2022 at 4:40 pmSo sorry to hear of Johns passing. He had a profound impact on my life even though I only knew him from his time at Graceland University. He was a good man, a caring soul, and I am better for knowing him.
Kevin Sherry says
March 31, 2022 at 10:48 pmIt is with great sadness I heard the news of the passing of John. His support of me and the Women’s soccer team during his time at Graceland University was something I will never forget and eternally grateful for. His kindness will alts live within me. I will miss him.
George and Sally Walton says
April 2, 2022 at 9:45 pmWe enjoyed knowing John and his family at the Washington, D.C. church. Prayers for all of you.
Anita Mortimer says
April 4, 2022 at 3:51 amMy life intersected with John’s over many years, and every encounter, every project was made so much richer by his presence, his wisdom, his humor, his insight, his kindness. A truly sweet soul with a deep and profound sense of call to make the world a better place, which is exactly what he did John will truly be missed but also remembered by many whose lives he blessed. To his family and especially his beloved daughters, thank you for sharing him with us all, and may God bless you as you face this profound loss.
Angel Velitchkov says
April 4, 2022 at 11:55 pmИване – благодаря ти. Thank you John – for everything, and always, forever and ever. АНГЕЛ В.
Ross Canning` says
April 5, 2022 at 10:32 pmI will always be thankful to Ambassador Menzies and his family for their love and support when I spent a semester abroad in Sofia, Bulgaria in the winter of 1991. First, the Gulf War started nearby in Iraq and the Graceland Winter Term canceled the final leg of its trip to Istanbul. John and Liz made sure I had appropriate support in the interim before University of Sofia classes began. Additionally, they took me in for a night or two when I received news that my father had had an emergency quadruple bypass and, with the difficulty of telecommunications at the time to Eastern Europe, I felt very alone and cut off from the news of my family and my father’s condition. I also received encouragement from John as I looked into master’s degree programs and he was kind enough to write me a letter of recommendation. I will always remember him for his grace, dry humor, and keen interest in leaving the world just a little better than he found it. Rest in peace, sir. You are already missed.
J Smith says
May 1, 2022 at 2:57 pmJohn Menzies was a reprehensible human being. He was a judgmental hypocrite and a liar. He frequently broke his word and stole from people who couldn’t afford it. At best, he was a patronizing bully. The world is a better place without him.
Amássy János says
May 22, 2022 at 12:16 amI worked “with” Menzies. I agree with your assessment completely. However, your initial sentence is far too charitable, He kept information from people that they needed to do their jobs. Many of us had to clean up his messes in his wake.
Jock Shirley says
May 19, 2022 at 4:20 amDear Mrs. Menzies,
I knew John more by reputation than in person, as he began his career shortly before I left the Agency for other duties. I recollect, though, that I swore in his JOT class when I was acting director, and spoke with him at length when he was assigned to Budapest, a town with which I had a lifelong association.
We are thinning out, the women and men of USIA, and it is a great sadness to learn of John’s death. He served his country with honor, skill and distinction.
I know of no better words to salute the passing of a colleague.
Please accept my deep condolences,
Sincerely yours,
Jock Shirley
Barbara Horner says
June 28, 2022 at 10:21 pmJohn and I were friends for over 40 years. When he went to Iraq, we stayed in touch, emailing each other several times a week. We often joked that our emails kept each of us sane. He had planned on coming out to Idaho sometime so that he could visit and make a daytrip up to the much-loved campgrounds our church owns near Cascade, ID.
The world was a better, kinder place because of John’s influence. He made life better for so many people, without asking for or expecting anything in return.
My heart goes out to Liz and his daughters Lauren, Alexandra, and Morgan, and his much-loved granddaughter.
. The world was a much better place because of him, and the best thing we can do to honor his life is to continue his legacy of caring.
Charles Talmadge says
September 30, 2025 at 4:39 amI just learned of this terrible news. Amb. Menzies was a true gentleman who cared passionately about human rights and public service. I learned a great deal having worked for him in Kosovo and greatly enjoyed his good humor. May his memory be a blessing.
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