ohn Marshall, a payments industry veteran known by many for his infectious demeanor and business acumen, died suddenly on January 28. He was 60 years old.

"John was a wonderful storyteller, and he had lots of stories to tell," recalled Kathy Crumley, a former associate. "John was a friend to all, and everyone enjoyed being around him."

John was born in Canada, but he came to this country by way of Australia. There he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Ausnet and its subsidiary, Eftel, which operated an independent network switch for ATM and card payments.

John was instrumental in helping establish Hypercom Corp. as a leading provider of POS terminals and peripherals in the Western Hemisphere.

He came to the United States in 1987 as one of that company's first employees in the Americas.

In 1990, Hypercom relocated its headquarters from Australia to Phoenix. In those first few years, John was the public face of the company here in the United States, especially at industry events.

During his tenure at Hypercom, he held several executive positions, including Senior Vice President and General Manager for North American POS Operations. And lastly, he served in an executive advisory position to the company's president and chief executive officer.

After leaving Hypercom in 2001, he became President of Blackstone's Prepaid Systems group. In 2002, he joined Vital Processing Services as Executive Vice President for Sales and Client Relations.

In 2004, John became the Executive Vice President of Business Development for Lexcel Solutions, a provider of payment system testing solutions.

He had worked in an advisory capacity with Lexcel since the mid 1980s. He left the company in January 2006 but continued as an integral member of the advisory board.

At the time of his death, John was an independent distributor working with iStream Imaging Inc., a firm specializing in remote check deposit solutions.

"John was quick to spot a business opportunity - often using a bar napkin to draw it out - and would effortlessly connect the dots, making sure there was benefit in the deal for everyone involved," Crumley said.

John is survived by his four children - Laura, Jay, Melinda and Chase - and Nightrider, his loyal equine companion. His family requests that sympathies be expressed in the form of contributions to Horse Rescue of North Scottsdale ( www.rescueahorse.com).