OSSIPEE--- John Arthur Demers, of Ossipee Lake, passed away on Sunday, December 6, 2020, after reaching the ripe age of 88 years old.
John was born on June 20, 1932 to Anselme ‘Sam’ Demers and Aurore (Plante) Demers. He was proud he grew up in Springvale, Maine, and was the youngest of seven children, having five brothers and one sister.
John played football while attending Sanford High School and after graduation enlisted in the U.S. Navy. All five brothers served and went off to war. It is said that their dad took each son to Portland to the Airport, and their mom said her goodbyes from home. John served as a Communication Technician during the Korean War.
After finishing his duty, his first civilian job was at Pioneer Plastics. It was at this job that a friend set up John on a blind date. He fell in love with Virginia ‘Ginny’ Poole. Virginia a widow, had four children; one of them with a special needs and a one with a heart condition. John never had children of his own, but he considered Tom Poole, Walter Poole, Terri Jones/Poole, and Jimmy Poole his children.
In August 1963, John married Ginny at her home in Portsmouth. This blended family split their time between Portsmouth, NH, where John eventually worked at PSNH Daniel Street Power Plant until it closed, and the family camp on Ossipee Lake.
Every summer since 1947, the family has summered at the lake in the ‘Portsmouth Cove’ making lifelong memories and neighbors into family. The annual family cove parties were legendary and carried on for 25 years. In 1987, John retired from PSNH after 20 years and the happy couple made their vacation spot their year-round home. John always took care of other neighbors at the lake, and in his old age, his neighbors returned the favor.
John and Ginny Demers welcomed grandchildren, Sarah Gray, Tim Poole, David Poole, Jeremy Poole, and Emily Gray. They had wins, but also losses; Jimmy Poole in 1998 and Walter Poole in 2001. The hardest loss of all was after 51 years of marriage, Ginny’s passing in 2014.
John loved visits, gardening, photography, coffee, and was a huge Boston Bruins and New England Patriots fan. John had a smile for all and loved to chat and get to know everyone around him. He was always fascinated with your story or background. He had a gift with people and was very well liked wherever he went.
A Catholic Burial will take place on Friday, October 22, 2021, at 11:00am at the Notre Dame Cemetery in Springvale, ME.
For John to die of heart failure was ironic because his heart was so big. In lieu of flowers, the family requests you call your children, call your grandchildren and call your mom and dad. Share a story.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services and 603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, NH, 03246, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit www.wilkinsonbeane.com.