Obituary of John Mahler

November 26, 2020

John Anthony Mahler, husband to Ivan Averchenko, brother to Elizabeth (Liz), and friend to many, passed in New York City on November 26, 2020 at the age of 56 from complications related to heart failure. Raised in New Providence, New Jersey, he was the son of William and Rita Mahler. John was a highly intelligent and spirited boy and he was an early nature enthusiast.

John attended Boston College where he majored in Political Science and began his life-long appreciation of history. John also became a student environmental activist while at BC. Upon graduation from BC in 1986, John lived in his adopted home of Boston, building a network of lifelong friends, his second family.

John's professional life launched with a position at Earth Watch. Ultimately, he transitioned to the field of digital marketing, where he was known as a passionate strategist and dedicated mentor at Digitas and Arnold Worldwide. Most recently, John was a Partner and Director of Strategy at Greater Than One, working on accounts related to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

John's work led him to New York where he met Ivan in 2010 and continued to grow his circle of friends. He had many interests, including film, history, literature, and travel, and led an annual group pilgrimage to Provincetown, MA. Provincetown, with its celebration of queer culture and always-active embrace of inclusion, was a special place for John going back to the 1990s, when he had share houses with close friends.

John was a loving husband, friend, neighbor and consummate host. He was known for his generosity of spirit, abundance of kindnesses, unconditional love to animals and other creatures. John was a captivating storyteller, a person of enormous charm and remarkable ability to whip together the best margarita in the world at a moments notice. He remained a lifelong political and social activist and was particularly proud of his support of the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement.
Given his commitment to social justice issues, the family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made to charities that were meaningful to John, including: 1) Alzheimer's Association (https://www.alz.org); 2) Save the Manatee Club, Inc (https://www.savethemanatee.org); 3) The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art (https://www.leslielohman.org); 4) Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (https://www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org); 5) Seriousfun Children's Network (https://seriousfun.org); 6) Fenway Health in Boston (https://fenwayhealth.org); 7) The Thirteen (https://www.thirteen.org)

A larger celebration of John's life and legacy will be held post-pandemic in 2021.

Funeral Services