John Ball, age 74, recently of Lynnfield, passed away suddenly April 25, 2026 after a heroic twenty-year battle with Parkinsons Disease.

John was born December 3, 1951 to William and Mary (Clark) Ball, and grew up in Melrose. He attended Melrose public schools graduating in 1969 and went on to Northeastern University. He went to work for the B&M Railroad on the construction crew, retiring from there in 1985. His career then entered a new phase, and he went into engineering consulting with focus on rail signal systems. He joined Railway Systems Design, Inc. in charge of their Boston office in 1986. In 1994 he joined the Boston based firm of Edwards & Kelcey which became Jacobs Engineering as Northeast Regional Vice President. He retired in December 2016. John’s love of all things railroad never waivered. He was always inquisitive, knowledgeable, and talented in an ever-evolving and challenging field.

With two sons, John also coached youth hockey while living and raising his family in western Massachusetts, as well as serving on the Franklin County Hockey Association’s Board of Directors. A devoted father, John worked hard to never miss a game or a practice.

John loved to tinker, to make improvements at home and had a well-used workshop. He was a traveler and nowhere was too far. He and Lynne traveled coast to coast for many years with children in California and Virginia. He enjoyed the sights and sounds of London, Edinburgh, Geneva and Zurich. There was a lot of train travel in Europe! Parkinsons grounded him way too early. He had wanted to see the world.

John is survived by his wife, Lynne, his sons Michael Ball of Deerfield, MA; Brian Ball of Crozet, VA; his stepdaughter Sandra Grinker of Tenafly, NJ; and his stepson Jacob Morris of Rutland, MA. There are also four grandchildren: Henry Ball of Foxborough, MA; Vivian Ball of Milton, VT; Daniella Grinker and Noah Grinker of Tenafly, NJ. John was the eldest of four children born to William and Mary and is survived by his sister Kathleen Ball of Melrose, MA; Edward Ball of Minot, ME and Stephen Ball of Bloomington, IN.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in loving memory of John may be made to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center by visiting www.bidmc.org/giving or by check made payable to “Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center” with “John Ball” in the memo line. Contributions can be mailed to: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Office of Philanthropy, 529 Main Street, 4th Floor, Charlestown, MA 02129.”

A celebration of John’s life is planned for a future date.