John K. Jones

John K. Jones November 5, 1931 January 17, 2016 John K. Jones, 84 John Kinkead Jones died peacefully holding hands with his devoted wife Elaine in Portland on January 17 at 9:20 AM. The more important fact is that he lived. The only child of Celtic immigrants, he was raised in upstate New York, attended the University of Michigan and earned a degree of Juris Doctor at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He served in the U. S. Army during the Korean War and was a member of Mensa. He had an eclectic range of careers including insurance adjustor, small business owner, carpenter, cabinetmaker, and Director of Marketing for the Maine State Department of Agriculture. In this last position, his most treasured achievement was aiding the development and growth of the Farmers' Market program. In the words of two of the then-Market Presidents ""We appreciate his good offices and want it on his record."" He knew how hard farmers work and he became good friends with many of them. During the 1980's, John and his wife traveled the entire State of Maine and he photographed the 278 public library buildings existing at the time. At the urging of many librarians John created a large traveling show, 'A Maine Portrait,' adding fact and history-filled storyboards to the commercial quality photos. The show toured the state and then John presented nine 3-ring binders with 1,628 slides of library images to the Maine State Library for public use. Many of these buildings no longer exist, but they are safe for future generations to enjoy. In 2014 John was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award from the Maine Health Care Association for his personal and professional accomplishments. John was a gifted writer and lover of words. He wrote ""Taylor - A Brief History of a Short Street"", a detailed chronicle of the street he lived on for many years. It is a thoroughly researched study including the street's origins in the 1870's, a history of each house and occupants and a survey of the West End. While leading tours for Greater Portland Landmarks, John got the idea for an annual walk on his birthday and for 10 years, he circumperambulated all or part of Portland and wrote entertaining pieces about each trip. His collection of 'lesser Portland landmarks' must be unique. He also wrote dozens of travel essays and hundreds of letters to friends- -all of them witty, full of tangential information that he related to the point, and charmingly amusing. So it was particularly cruel when, in 2005, he said he was having trouble finding the right word and was later diagnosed with frontotemporal degeneration and primary progressive aphasia. It stole his voice over 10 long years, and he knew it. But he stoically did not complain and found other ways to communicate with his infectious smile and clear blue eyes. His last 2 years and 5 months were spent in the amazing care of the warm individuals at Fallbrook Woods. They are now family. We couldn't have been at a better place. He enjoyed life. John got great pleasure from a fine glass of wine, pleasant evenings on the porch, a long walk, reading, crosswords, collecting art and cooking and sharing a nice meal. With John, everything was an adventure and came with something learned, as a bonus. His lifelong advice was ""Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff."" John leaves his 6 children: Caragh, Megan, Caitlin, Courtney, John and Alison; their husbands and partners; their mother Pam; his wife Elaine's family who became his own; and his 8 grandchildren. He was proud of them all and loved them, even when he couldn't say the words. And his wife Elaine, after 45 years of friendship, including 27 years of marriage, who will love him and miss him and be grateful to him for all of her life. If you wish to honor John's life, consider a tax-deductible contribution to~his favorite charity, a scholarship program for Panamanian indigenous students. Please go to~www.nativefuture.org~(Education Program) or Native Future, 34 Taylor Street, Portland 04102.

John K. Jones

November 5, 1931 - January 17, 2016

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