National Security Agency Cryptanalyst John Brinton

John G. Brinton, a retired cryptanalyst with the National Security Agency who was involved in community and church activities, died March 18 of complications of dementia with Lewy body disease at his home in Riverdale. He was 80.

Mr. Brinton, who began working for the NSA in 1951 and retired in 1982, was a volunteer firefighter and a founding member of Jefferson Heights Volunteer Fire Department in Fairfax County in the early 1950s. He later volunteered at the Riverdale Heights VFD in Prince George's County for 17 years.

As a volunteer with the Appalachian Trail Club, he, along with his family, maintained a five-mile section of the trail for approximately 20 years.

Mr. Brinton was an early member of St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Riverdale, where he was involved with both the church and school. He was a fixture at most fundraisers and entertainment programs and spent many hours working with his friends and neighbors to build the new church.

As the parents of seven daughters, he and his wife were also very active in the Girl Scout program at St. Bernard's from the late 1950s through the 1980s.

Out of his work with the Girl Scouts grew a lifelong love of camping and preserving nature. His children credit him with instilling in them a strong love of the outdoors and an appreciation for the simple things in life. The family has many memories of cross-country camping trips and experiences traveling in their VW bus, one daughter said

Mr. Brinton, a native of Philadelphia, was placed in St. Ann's Children's Home at age 3 when his father died. He was later transferred to another orphanage and remained there until 1937. His mother died when he was 7.

After high school, he enlisted in the Army. During World War II, he served with the 103rd Infantry Division in France, Germany and Austria. He received a Purple Heart after being wounded in action in Germany.

He moved to Washington after the war and worked as a auditor at the Supreme Court. He later joined the NSA.

After retiring, Mr. Brinton joined the Annapolis Striders and became an avid runner. He especially enjoyed participating in the annual Bay Bridge Run with family members.

In 1986, although he was orphaned as a child, Mr. Brinton finally discovered his family roots. He became a member of the Brinton Family Association and spent his later years attending family reunions. The Brinton 1704 House, built by an ancestor, still stands as a family museum in Chester County, Pa.

Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Mary Ann Jennings Brinton of Riverdale; nine children, Mary Ann Flannery and Renee Hammond, both of Rockville, Denise Berti of Evington, Va., Michelle Manning of Fallbrook, Calif., Alicia Wattenberg of Chevy Chase, Monique Ostazeski of Port Republic, Va., John G.J. Brinton of Laurel, William Brinton of Grasonville, Md., and Thomas Brinton of Riverdale; 23 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. A daughter, Jeanette Griffith, died in 1981.