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HomeMy Public PortalAboutArticle_201407291655291545 John J.Bartley Jr,, 87, of Watertown;antique cnr ent1usigst wrote l:story of Anwbury g,., . Page 1 of 5 Cwt you?vote for Phs�%ztajn eq1oN Hopp C hib'a saammeF p1ch, John J. Bartfley Jr®, 5 7 ; antique auto enthusiast, historian W33fasnerCraven I GLOBE CORRESPONDENT APRIL 30, 20i11 I MARK WILSON/GLOBE STAPP/PILE.2oo2 John J.Bartley Jr,bought his!1939 Forst Tudor Deluxe from his mother for$2,He wrote about it in Vg Times magazine. Whenever John J. Bartley Jre bought an€ntique car for his collection,he learned its story,Commissioned-to byAle about his 1937 Ford Tudor Deluxe touting sedan for V8`Dimes magazine,he described his long history with the car,where it was built,and the care it required. file°f//C./Users/jbargel/\ppDato1Loca I cmp/Law/C013MT29X.htm 6/4/2014 Johil J. F_1arlley Jr,, 87, of WaletloM; anlique ear Culhrlsiast wr iistory of�1�nesi��izy 3.,, P Age) of For Mr, -B-a tley, who over the years attended more than a thousand automobile shows in New England,his cars were not mere machines,but members of an extended family. CONTINUE READING BELOW T "This is not a show car, and 1 have never had a desire to have it become one,"he wrote in-the article, published in November 2o1o, "it is a family heirloom-,having been part Of my life for over 70 years." Mn Bartley, an antique car enthusiast who was a civil engineer at Boston Edison for 33 years, died of stomach cancer April 3 in the Milton home of his daughter Anne iteddington. He was 87 and had lived in Water-town. "He could identify whether a water pump was made for this car or that car,"said another daughter,Suzin of Milton. "His knowledge went deep into these machines." In a 2oo2 interview, Mr. Bartley told the Globe that he"had this interest very early in life.Jmesbury, Mass.,from about 19oo until 1932,was one of the largest [automobile]body-building locations in the United States." Mr.Bartley's father, John Sr.,fused metal car bodies together for a manufacturer in town.His mother,the former Mary Ellen Greeley,worked in the town treasurer's office. CONTINUE READING BELOW 7 An only child,Mr.Bartley attended Amesbury High School,where he became most excited about his studies when he was asked to compile a history of the automobile industry in Amesbury for an English class.His research was exhaustive and has since been cited in a munber of published articles. The day after his bigb school graduation in 1944, Mr.Bartley took a train to Boston to join the US Navy. He was only 17, and his parents signed a waiver to allow him to serve during World War 11. He fixed airplane engines for four years on Navy ships, file,///C-.[Useas/jbarticJ/Appl3ata/LocaYTemp/Lovr/CORMT29X.htsn 6/412014 tJartley lr,; NY,of Watettow13; 2i1tique,.rar vnthusia'st wrote lllStoJ.y of Ainegbury #i.., Page 3 of 5 I, When Mr, Bartley retaumed home,he tools advantage of the GI Bill to study civil engineering at Tufts University,After transferring to Northeastern University,he graduated in 1952. After the war, Mr. Bartley received his first and favorite can a black 1937 Ford 7 tidor Deluxe. Ile bought the car from his another for $2 in 1g6o and Dept it in working order until he died, "He had a cover that went over it,but he always loved showing the car,"said his son, Tack of Watertown,who was given the Ford after his father's death, "If Z brought over a girlfriend or someone new,he would slowly tape off the covering and the shiny black chrome would put-them in awe," For a few years after Northeastern,Mr. Bartley rented a room in Brookline and worked at the Boston and Maine Railroad to pay off college bills. He met Anne Colpoys on an MBTA train headed for Brighton. They married in r96i and were together for 62 years until her death in December, "The devotion that he gave to her was unending," 3uzin said. Mr. Bartley's wife, who had been a dietitian at a middle school,participated in car club activities,too. "You either have to enjoy there,or you're miserable at horm%0 she told the Globe in 2002, "You may as well get out and meet people and have fan." The couple rode in the'37 Ford through Maine and into Canada on their honeymoon,Ayellowed journal documenting expenses on this newlywed trip still rests in the Fors glove box. Every year they took a trip in the Ford to a different destination. fde:NC:/Use.co/jbarticy/j-\ppDato]Local/Temp[Low/CDFjMT29X.htin 5/4/2014 iota �. t3arpey ir,, n 1, cat watertown; antigtie cap enhr3sinst irrote history of:1me��r��y a.,, Pale 4 nF When they first married, the Ford served as the main-.family ear, except when snow coated the roasts, including for the birth of their children. In 2002,Mr, Bartley told the Globe that one time has wife"was taken to the hospital in that old Ford and came back with a kid in the back seat," Over the years,he belonged to automobile organizations including Klaxon Antique Auto Club in Dracut,the Bay State Antique Auto Club,-the Early Ford Via Club of America, and the Veteran Motor Car Club of America, The family proved to Watertown in 1958,shortly after Mr. Bartley began workat Boston Edison,where he headed up the real estate division.As pant of his job, he helped acquire hundreds of tracts of land for Edison's expansion into Eastern Massachusetts, In addition to the'37 Ford, Mr, Bartley tooled around in a number of other automobiles through the years, including a black 19�3 Model T touring car, a 1929 Cadillac Town Car, a gray 1928 Mash, and a tan and black 1924 Cadillac Victoria,As he grew older, Mr.Bartley sold all the cars except the Ford,his favorite, i "He did a lot of studying, and he read a lot of books on old cars,"said Dick Griffith,who belonged to a car club with Mr, Bartley, "He was the man to talk to if you had an antique car. He knew the answers," A service has been held, In addition to his children, Suziu,Anne,and Jack,he leaves seven grandchildren, For more than 5o years,Mr, Bartley-was an active church member and usher in Watertown, including at Sacred heart Church. As his car collection grew in Watertown,so did his participation in local politics. He served for nearly 5o years as a Town Meeting member and spent about 20 years on the Traffic C'omrnission, Mr, Bartley also was a permanent member of the School Building Committee and a founding member of the East Watertown Betterment Association, ile;///C:fUs€rs/jbaxticy/AppData/Local/Temp[Low/COIEi�NI'I'29X.htm 5/4/2014 John J, Bartley Jr., 87, (A WateItow-wl allticlne ear enthusiast wrote history of Amesbury a.,. Page 5 of i "My father instilled in ine the need to give hack, said Jack,)vho served four years a3 a state legislator, representing Watertown. "He taught as not to complain,but to do soraiething about it,' Jasper O aven can be reached at ias)encraue77( alobe.com, ©2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS,LLC i fiie:NC:/Users/jbatiley/AppD,ita/LoraVremp[Loyv/CORMT29-,'�.htm 6/4/2014 it