John Silton Obituary

John Frank Silton died on Monday December 29th, 2025 at the age of 95. Born December 11, 1930 in Erfurt, Germany, his parents emigrated to the United States in 1933 in fear of Nazi persecution. Known to his friends as Jack, he was raised in New Jersey, eventually attending Rutgers University to study accounting. After a stint in the US Army that landed him in Birmingham, AL, he started his career with Lybrand, Ross Brothers and Montgomery (later Coopers & Lybrand) in Birmingham, where he also met Ingeborg Kuers, whom he married on September 15th, 1956. Sons Kurt (1959) and Rick (1961) were born in Alabama before the family moved to the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC where Scott (1971) was born. Jack was named a partner (later Managing Partner) of the Washington, DC office of Coopers & Lybrand, developing a specialty in nonprofit accounting that included clients such as the Smithsonian, the World Bank, the Federal Reserve, and the DC City Government. Jack served on the board and as Chair of the DC Chamber of Commerce and was a leading member of the Mayoral delegation that established the Washington DC - Beijing sister city partnership in May 1984. He also served on the board of the Greater Washington Area chapter of Junior Achievement, an organization that promotes and provides economic literacy and entrepreneurship education in schools. In the 1990s, Jack retired from the firm and served on the board of the Washington Opera and as the CFO of the Corcoran Gallery of Art before retiring to Durango, CO in 1995. In Durango, he became Chairman of the Board of the Music in the Mountains festival. After Inge died, he married Betty Bullock in 2009, eventually moving back to live with her in the Kalorama neighborhood in DC until he needed full time caregiving.

In his own words, Jack wanted to be remembered as someone who "loved the business of business and of being in charge of things. He tried to do things in a straightforward and honest way. He had a nice wife and he was proud of all of his children and their diverse characteristics and abilities."

Known for his prodigious vocabulary, sense of humor, ethically-centered accounting standards, and empowering management style, Jack enjoyed staying up late for Johnny Carson, a good Filet Mignon, attending the opera, modern art, and dressing sharp, once landing a spot on the Washingtonian Magazine's best dressed list. Jack enjoyed hiking and skiing with his family before and after moving to Durango. His intellect, generous spirit, and gentle disposition will live on in the hearts of everyone he knew.

Memorial contributions may be made in Jack's memory to Music in the Mountains and Habitat for Humanity. A celebration of his life will be held at a future date.