Marine industry veteran John Ford died on October 30, 2019 at the age of 86. Centek Industries, where Ford spent much of his career, called him the “Godfather of Wet Exhaust.”
“Back in 1963, John served as a Vice President for Vernay Products (predecessor company to Centek Marine) and was the driving force behind Vernay’s entry into the marine wet exhaust market,” said a letter from the company. “Using his background in engineering and composites, John developed many of the algorithms used to properly size a wet exhaust system. Those algorithms, with John’s constant eye towards improvement, are still widely used today by Centek Marine engineers.”
Ford earned patents for many of his designs over the years which became the foundations for many wet exhaust systems today. “John had the most can-do attitude when it came to working with customers and designing systems to fit their precise needs,” said Ken Harstel, vice president of operations at Centek. “That spirit has served Centek well over the years and is a big reason why we are so successful in designing custom marine solutions for customers all over the world.”
John is survived by his wife of 27 years, Lynn Marie Ford of Xenia, Ohio. Other survivors include his son, Mitchell Ford of Niagara Falls, New York, step-son Patrick M. Fitzgerald of Solon, Ohio, as well as four nephews and four grandchildren.
