John Paul Emert, of New Canaan CT and Nantucket MA, died July 17, 2025, at age 82. The son of E. Paul Emert, a stockbroker, and Mary Shields Emert, a homemaker, John was born September 5, 1942, and grew up in Chatham, NJ.
John Paul Emert
He received a BA with honors from Amherst College, an LLB from Stanford Law School, and an LLM from New York University Law School. He became interested in political and economic issues relating to developing countries, and while in college and law school participated in study groups travelling in Chile, Mexico, and Brazil. He learned to speak Spanish and Portuguese. During law school in 1965, John participated in a civil rights campaign in Mississippi to integrate public facilities, such as libraries and restaurants.
After law school, John joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to Uganda, an East African country that had recently gained independence and needed teachers. John’s tasks included teaching law and commercial law at the Uganda College of Commerce in the capital city, Kampala, reviewing and abstracting files of decided cases with a view to publishing those cases as the Uganda Law Reports, and working with residents of a village outside Kampala on the construction of an elementary school for children in the village.
After returning home, John passed the New York bar exam and worked for a number of banks in their legal departments, including Manufacturers Hanover Trust, J. Henry Schroder, Citibank, and Bank of America, working with US corporations as well as international businesses. He spent a year in Sao Paulo, Brazil working on legal issues of multinational companies’ subsidiaries in Brazil.
Back in the US, John became interested in derivatives and related trading products. He was part of the first generation of derivatives lawyers, who developed documentation and trading practices for these transactions. He was a Charter Member of the Financial Markets Lawyers Group, a committee of derivative lawyers established by the New York Federal Reserve Bank to promote best legal practices in the foreign exchange markets. John was the coordinator of the development of the IFEMA (International Foreign Exchange Markets Agreement) which validated netting of trading positions in a bank’s foreign exchange portfolio, and worked on the development of the ICOM agreement, a similar agreement for FX options.
John and his family moved to New Canaan in 1993. He was a marathon runner and became active in local organizations, including the Knights of Columbus, Saint Aloysius’s Pastoral Council, New Canaan Interfaith Council, The Democratic Town Committee, and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). He served two terms on the New Canaan Town Council, one term on the New Canaan Board of Finance, one term on what is now the Inland Wetlands Commission and was formerly a Member of the Board of Governors of the New Canaan Museum and Historical Society.
John met his wife, Ellen (Mary Ellen Gaw), at J. Henry Schroder Bank in New York. They married in 1982 and had one child, Kate (Mary Catherine Emert Gleason), who is a lawyer in the Philadelphia area. The family loved Nantucket, vacationing there during the summer season for several years and owning a house there since 2000. John was a summer volunteer in the Research Library of the Nantucket Historical Association and was an avid birder and beachgoer.
John is survived by his loving wife of 42 years, by his daughter Kate (James David Gleason) of Wynnewood PA, by his brother James Hugh Emert of NJ, by best friends, Golden Retrievers Gracie and Jake, and by sisters-in-law Shannon Breininger, Betsy Schmerge, and Susan McDonnell (Jim). He expressed his wish that he could have stayed longer—to see how the story of life was turning out and to be able again to exchange greetings with his many friends and acquaintances. He is at peace in the hands of his Lord and asked that you pray for him, as he will pray for you.
John’s family wish especially to thank the staff and volunteers of Waveny Care Center and the Village at Waveny for the care that they provided to John during his extended struggle with Parkinson’s Disease and Lewey Body Dementia.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Aloysius Church 21 Cherry St, New Canaan, CT 06840 at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 24, 2025, with burial to follow at Lakeview Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the charity of your choice.
The Emert family is being compassionately cared for by the staff at Hoyt Funeral Home Funeral 199 Main Street New Canaan CT 06840. For Online condolences please visit, www.hoytfuneralhome.com.
A true gentleman and a valuable town volunteer
I was blessed to sit with this humble, amazing intelligent and quiet gentleman on many a train ride home. If we weren’t discussing securitization or getting updates on Zeke (John’s beloved dog), we were having a good chuckle on the day’s world events. It made a nice ending to day. After John retired, I would see him from time to time at the transfer station. Always a hello and a wave. His gentle spirit, depth of knowledge and insight will be missed.
John represented the best in Public Service. I enjoyed reaching out to him seeking his advice on a number of issues.
He was a gift on the Board of Finance as he brought a calm, quiet, intellect and needed perspective.
My condolences to the family.
Although I knew John for many years through my attending Town meetings and from chatting with him at social events, I was not aware of his service in the Peace Corps nor of his many selfless accomplishments before settling in New Canaan.
As I read this obituary, I realize that although John was a remarkable man who touched so many lives, he was very humble. My condolences to the Emert family on your profound loss. Rest in peace, John.