In Memoriam: John M. Oakes, 81

14 Years in CMB's Asia Banking Group

 

John Michael Oakes of New Milford, CT, who worked for Chase Manhattan for 14 years as a VP in the Asia Banking Group, died after an intense, hard-fought battle with cancer on May 30, 2025. He was 81 years old.

 

Born in Brooklyn, NY, he attended Long Island's Syosset High School, and graduated from Georgetown University in 1966 with a BS in Foreign Service, having majored in economics and government.

 

Upon graduation, Oakes served as an officer in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1969, leading a nuclear missile unit in Germany during the Vietnam War. Upon his discharge, he joined Chase in Manhattan. His tenure with the bank included three years in Japan. 

 

Oakes moved to Boston in 1986 to become CEO of a high-tech start-up. A few years later, he served as President of a telecommunications firm in Washington, DC, traveling to be with his wife on the weekends, often at their second home in New Hampshire. His next position took him to Los Angeles, where he served as CEO of a Fortune 500 technology firm.  After 10 years in California, he settled in New Milford, CT.

 

Oakes loved basketball, was an avid cyclist and had eclectic musical tastes. He and his wife were devoted to their five Havanese dogs. Oakes served as Show Chair of the Havanese Club of America, and two of their dogs took home Best-in-Show ribbons.

 

After retiring, John served on the New Milford Roads Committee and put his business acumen to work improving the town. He enjoyed his weekly phone calls with the mayor. But John’s passion project was his blog The Wrongologist. For 11 years he posted his well-reasoned views on “Geopolitics, Power and the Political Economy”, accumulating more than 15,000 subscribers. Each post led off with the Daily Escape, a scenic photo or a political cartoon apropos to the article, followed by his thoughts and links to supporting articles. Sunday columns often ended with a little-known inspiring musical selection.

 

Among his survivors are his wife, Carole Shea, two sons and four daughters, and 12 grandchildren. 

 

(Based on published death notice)

Remembrances

 
Please send remembrances to news@chasealum.org
 
From Phil Sorace: I knew and worked along side  John when I led Mid-Career and College Recruitment, Training and Placement for the International Department. We were friends and socialized being founding members of the “Chaser Mafia”, a loose gaggle of young Chase officers residing along what was then the Erie-Lackawanna Bergen/Main lines through Northern New Jersey. We gathered on weekends to play basketball and touch football at local high schools in Fairlawn, Glen Rock and Ridgewood.         John was an analytical banker with a flair for strategic thinking who also possessed a wicked sense of humor. One folly I feel comfortable in revealing now occurred shortly after Bill Ogden was promoted to EVP sharing management responsibilities for Chase International with Bill Butcher. There wasn’t any room on the 17th floor to accommodate an office befitting his rank, so one was built on our floor below on the southeast corner of ICMP.  A row of lesser offices, leading to Bill's, were occupied by me, Jerry Sullivan, John, George Knowles and Frank Shea, roughly in that order. Ogden tended to leave the office between 5 and 6 pm whenever he could, when not traveling or otherwise engaged with meetings. We commuted  on the same route and often left for our homes, more often than not, between 6 and 7 pm or later. Usually we – Frank, John and I – would wait for the last one to finish up before heading out to the PATH to Hoboken Terminal and home. How it got started, whose idea it was, I can’t recall. All I know it wasn’t mine, but one evening John stood at my door with a Frisbiee in hand. It was then a contest was born to find he who could fling the plastic disc reliably from the doorway of my office down the hall, through the double open doorway to Ogden’s office and land it neatly on his desk. The “winner”, so to speak, would have the dubious honor to attempt the perfect landing on a day when Bill was comfortably ensconced at his desk. Practice went on for weeks curiously without identifying a clear standout who could qualify for the mission. It should be noted that Bill Ogden did not suffer fools or rambunctious junior officers kindly. 
     John faced professional and personal adversity and choices with conviction and courage. His career accomplishments speak well of his professionalism and dedication to excellence. His passion, apart from his children and family, was breeding and showing Havanese dogs. We lost contact for a long while, but reconnected a few years ago through the Internet. I regret we were not able to meet, I would have liked to tell him how very glad I am to have known him.