John Augustine Adair, Jr.

John Augustine Adair, Jr., 82, of Kansas City, MO, died of an extended illness on Sunday, February 23, 2025, at Kindred Hospital Northland, Kansas City, MO. 

  Private family burial services at Mt. Vernon Cemetery, Atchison, KS, will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions are suggested to Mt. Vernon Cemetery and may be sent in the care of the Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home who is handling the arrangements.  Condolences to the family may be left online at www.beckerdyer.com

  John was born on October 31, 1942, in Atlanta, GA, the son of John A. and Jane M. (Haskins) Adair.  He graduated high school, in 1960, from Sewanee Military Academy, Sewanee, TN, and earned a Bachelor of Science in economics from Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, in 1964. 

  After college graduation, John moved to Chicago, IL, and worked for the First National Bank of Chicago for five years before traveling around the world and settling in Tokyo, Japan, where he lived for over 40 years.  John initially taught English to Japanese businesspeople, but in 1978 he opened Kurofune, an antique shop that over the next 35 years became one of the premier antique destinations in Tokyo.  In 2013, John closed his shop and retired to Kansas City, MO, living at Bishop Spencer Place. 

  In addition to antiques, John was passionate about keeping up with current events and the financial markets.  As well, he was a longtime director of Exchange Bankshares Corporation of Kansas and of Exchange Bank & Trust, Atchison, KS. 

  Survivors include nephews Douglass J. (Juan A. Casás) Adair, Atchison, KS, Alexander W. Adair, Costa Mesa, CA, Kevin H. Adair, Bettendorf, IA, and niece Amy A. (Fred) Zuniga, La Mirada, CA, sisters-in-law, Marsha A. Adair, Atchison, KS, and Vicki L. Adair, Davenport, IA, a stepbrother Potter H. Carroll, Westborough, MA, and numerous cousins to whom he was very close. 

His parents, stepmother Grace S. Adair, three brothers Bruce D., Paul H., and William A. Adair, and stepsister Virginia C. Lyman preceded him in death.