Sturges Fund for Grace Church

In a 2000 interview with the Foundation, the late John P. Sturges shared a childhood memory of his weekly church attendance. “I remember going to Grace Church in one of my grandmother’s buggies. You couldn’t really see anything but the coachman’s pants, but every once in a while he’d slump over a bit, and my grandmother would poke him with her parasol.”

Mr. Sturges remained a loyal supporter and congregant until his death in 2001 at age 88. His support, and that of his wife, Alice, included the establishment of a pooled income fund to benefit the church. Following Mrs. Sturges’ death last fall at age 94, this Fund was created at the Foundation, as the couple had instructed 28 years earlier.

Born and raised in Rhode Island, Mr. Sturges was a 1936 graduate of Yale University and a Navy veteran of World War II. He was cofounder of New England Tap Company of Norwood, MA, where he was chief executive officer until his 1993 retirement.

His wife, Alice (Ellsworth) Sturges, was raised in Boston and later lived in New York. The couple met during a summer visit she made to Rhode Island. She worked for Steuben in New York and for 20 years was part owner of Ms, a now-closed gift shop on Providence’s East Side.

The couple raised five sons together, including three from her prior marriage, and was active in the community. He served for 30 years on the board of the Providence Rescue League, was president of Bannister Care Nursing Center, was a member and president of the Hope Club, and was a member of the Agawam Hunt Club. A lifelong member of Grace Church, he served as treasurer and senior warden. Mrs. Sturges was active in the church, as well as with Meals on Wheels and the Rhode Island School of Design. Her Providence Journal obituary notes that a party she hosted for RISD was featured in Life Magazine.

Return to Funds Page