John Shuff had a hand in everything that made Boca Boca. John passed away on June 29 at age 80. He was a tough customer. He had to be, living with MS for 45 years. Those who knew him, loved him for his high standards and his heart.
From the minute he and his wife Margaret Mary arrived from Manhattan, the Shuffs brought a pace and work ethic that just energized this town. The couple started Boca magazine and JES Media in 1981. So knowing John’s considerable media background, he was the first person I turned to for advice when I started Boca Voice.
“One of John’s best moments came during the negotiations that turned the Boca Raton Mall into Mizner Park,” wrote Randy Schultz, who inherited John’s My Turn column in the magazine.
But John wasn’t just a good businessman. The Shuffs had their hand in the start of the Festival of the Arts BOCA. Their philanthropy extended to the George Snow Scholarship Fund, Boca’s hospital foundation, the St. Andrews School.
In 2003, their names were added to Boca historical society’s Walk of Recognition, a monument to the city’s major players, under the statue of Addison Mizner. Lynn University’s president Kevin Ross saluted the couple for co-sponsoring their conservatory’s annual Gingerbread Concert.
Shuff was one of the originals. He came into his own in the ‘60s, like TV’s “Mad Men.” So he was full of a competitive edge for the business world. And he had love for his family and his community that had no bounds. That’s how I’d like to remember him.
Peter Gary
