John William Emerson Sr

John William Emerson, Sr., of Gorham, Maine, passed away unexpectedly July 12 at Massachusetts General Hospital from complications following a lung transplant and after living for 12 years with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Born May 1, 1951, in New Haven Connecticut to the late Dr. Horton “Bill” Emerson and Anne Haynes Emerson, he referred to himself as “my mother’s little May basket.” John loved people and people loved John. He was the quintessential “good guy.” He had a larger-than-life presence, and if your memories of him did not include laughter and/or a well-timed prank, then perhaps you did not truly know him. He graduated from Gorham High School in 1969 and Bates College in 1973. Always one to downplay his intelligence or strengths, he claimed that the only reason he was admitted to Bates was “because I could put one foot in front of the other. Really fast.” John’s early running career was enhanced by sprints out of GHS when volunteer firefighter duty called. John won All New England Honors twice: in the mile his senior year when his 4:10 time smashed his own school record, and as the anchor of a two-mile relay team his junior year, setting a school record that lasted for 44 years. John himself didn’t speak often of his athletic accomplishments with his family, although he did freely share stories of he and his teammate’s back of the bus and hotel antics. His teammates remember him saying that what he hoped to be remembered for was coming through for the team when the meet was on the line: “I wanted the guys to know they could always count on me. In those moments I wanted to be money.” And he was. As a competitor and a person, he was truly one of a kind. John began his professional career as a history and economics teacher at his high school alma mater, where he was known for his unconventional pedagogical approaches. On any given day, a concerned administrator watching from the hall might find him standing atop a cabinet monitoring test takers with binoculars, assessing the progress of a moldy peanut butter sandwich kept in his desk drawer for the entire school year, or sparking a cigar in class to keep a motivational promise to a student for passing a test. Years later at a high school open house for one of his own children (also all GHS alums), he claims to have found the imprint of a sliced apple he had pressed into a chalkboard there many years earlier. Despite making a positive mark on many young hearts and minds, John left teaching (of his own volition). In the years that followed, he worked as a wastewater systems operator for the Portland Water District , Deputy Public works director for the City of Westbrook, and, finally, as Chief Wastewater Facilities Coordinator for the City of Portland. He worked full time until the time of his lung transplant and fully intended to return to this role. John’s analytical skills and big-picture thinking, his strong communication skills, sense of humor and fun, as well as kindness and compassion served him well as a manager of teams. He cared about his employees and their families and cultivated crew members’ personal and professional strengths. He delighted in friends from all walks of life and looked for the best in people. He could be comfortable with anyone because he was so comfortable with himself. He showed up when it mattered most, often, but not always, in quiet ways. He was an extemporaneous speaker without equal and delivered eulogies for many friends and family members that were authentic, moving and reverently irreverent. His beloved mother thought he should have been a minister, perhaps not fully appreciating the depth and scope of his past pranksterism. Despite his rascally leanings, John served three terms on the Gorham town council, including one election by write-in vote. He also served five years as a trustee for the Portland Water District and 35 years as a trustee for the Cumberland County Federal Credit Union. In addition to his day jobs, John had a number of side hustles, including groundskeeping at Gorham’s Hillside cemetery and sextant at the First Parish Congregational Church in Gorham (where he had attended services as a child at his mother’s insistence). His most important, fulfilling and lasting side hustle was working alongside his best friend Richard of Richard Wing and Son logging for many years. John eventually became a certified professional logger and found immense satisfaction and fun in his time in the woods and his time with Richard, who he loved like a brother. Family was John’s heart and his core. Time with family in and near the waters of Union River and Blue Hill Bays shaped his early years, including at the elbow and in the boat of his beloved grandfather, Blue Hill Harbormaster Horton Emerson. His moral compass included kindness, integrity, decency, humility, responsibility, and steadfastness, which he would have attributed to his nightly chats with his mother, as well as role modeling by his parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. He and his wife Laurie would have celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary on July 26 and were into their 37th year as partners. Together they created beautiful gardens, which were sanctuary for butterflies and pollinators of every sort as well as the songbirds they loved feeding and watching. John and Laurie hosted and nurtured countless generations of bluebird clutches and doted on their beloved rescue cats. A sense of duty, obligation and responsibility were points of pride for John, along with his devotion to and spoiling his “Sweet Pea.” He was her hunter-gatherer and her bluebird prince. John was a hands-on father, grandfather and uncle who brought silliness, playfulness and fun to the everyday. A rhubarb leaf became a loincloth. An old Datsun wagon became a vehicle for his sons’ underage parking-lot donut practice. And his sister recalls him pulling an orange traffic cone fully over his head then providing her kids with a tour of neighborhood utility hole covers. For the entertainment of friends and family, he would knock aggressively against his skull with knuckles of both hands, adjusting the position of his cheeks, mouth, throat and jaw to create a bizarre combination of melody and percussion, and recognizable tunes. His hugs could be equally percussive with numerous vigorous backslaps. None of these theatrics prevented John from being present and supportive in quieter and even difficult times. He would show up for his kids at any hour for any reason or need, be it car trouble, homesickness, relationship problems, colicky baby, basement flood, pet death or just the need for an everyday coffee and a chat. In addition to his parents, John was predeceased by his sister Jane Gavin. He is survived by his wife, Laurie Peterson Emerson; sister Sarah Emerson Potter and her husband Jeffrey Potter; daughter, Heather Emerson, and her wife Heather Thompson; son John Emerson Junior and his wife Stephanie Emerson; son Leon Emerson and his significant other Lucy Stover; grandchildren Caleb Emerson and his fiancée Emme Urbanczyk, Sophie Davis, Maisie Emerson-Thompson, and Jack Emerson. He is also survived by an aunt, an uncle and many cousins, nieces, nephews and grandnieces and nephews- all beloved. Finally, he is survived by his friends Lynn and Richard Wing, their children and grandchildren as well as a wide circle of friends. The family wishes to thank John’s pulmonologist, Dr. Barry Shea at Massachusetts General Hospital. John found an ideal partner for navigating his illness, both through Dr. Shea’s extensive knowledge and research in the field of pulmonary fibrosis as well as his compassionate and relational approach to patient care. The family would also like to thank the Mass General Lung Transplant Team and the incredible nurses and staff of the Blake 12 ICU. A celebration of life will be held Friday August 8 at 11 am at Cressy Road Christian Church, 81 Cressy Road, Gorham, Maine 04038, with reception immediately to follow. Previous efforts to solicit John’s input into content for a future obituary were mostly unsuccessful, not only because he intended to live into his 90s with a new lung, but also because of his reluctance to toot his own horn. Had he not already passed, it might have killed him, or made him want to kill us, to read this obituary. He did however identify a preferred charity, specifically expressing a wish to honor his late and dear friend Harvey “Bud” Woodcock the First of Buxton, and to address the issue of food insecurity. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to contribute in John’s memory, and Bud’s honor, may send a check to the Buxton Food Co-op, Care of Jean Harmon, 90 Back Nippen Road, Buxton, ME 04093. To express condolences please visit www.DolbyBlaisSegee.com

John William Emerson Sr

May 1, 1951 - July 12, 2025

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