John "Jay" Woitko (62) of Fryeburg was called home by the Good Man Upstairs on February 3, 2021.
He was a tough old bird but didn't have the strength to keep fighting lung cancer. He went too soon, before any of us were ready.
More than anything Jay wanted to live to play with his four grandchildren Orion Woitko, Quinn Atchinson,and Nell and Drew Dugan. They kept his world spinning and the gleam in his eyes. He wanted to teach them all the critical life lessons he taught his children, Dakotah Dugan, Jay Woitko, and Asa Woitko, like watching out for the woofaboomis. Nobody else could make them believe quite like him.
Jay was fond of calling his beloved wife of 35 years, Vickie Woitko (Hamlin) "Vern" simply because she found it annoying. He had a way like that.
Jay was always ready with a cold beer or a helping hand - willing to give everything he had if he thought someone else might need it more. He took more than a few "dad, how do I?" calls and the knowledge that he takes with him can't be replicated.
You couldn't visit him without taking something home, whether you needed it or not. He always asked what he could do for you, and if you had everything you needed. Needed was always relative. He was quick with a joke, heavy on I Love Yous, and
endlessly frustrating with his good natured pranks. He loved to move your drink or plate when you weren't paying attention, and then innocently help you look for it. He could make you laugh on your darkest day. His son-in-law Michael Dugan and daughter-in-law Jessica Woitko were welcomed into the family with his typical antics, and he loved them like his own. He missed his daughter Nyoka every day.
He could often be found sitting in the woodshed with a good old country song on and a circle of friends and family around him. More times than not that circle included his lifelong friends Michael Harriman and Rodney Waterman. His brother David Woitko and sisters Vin Woitko and Peg Woitko were always in his heart, and he is finally reunited with his brother Noel Woitko.
Jay's favorite place was the Woitko Retreat, where he loved to host the annual horseshoe tournament with his wife and family - often welcoming nearly a hundred people which brought him immense joy.
The hole he leaves is vast. People gravitated to Jay because of who he was and how he lived his life. He wasn't perfect, but he didn't have to be. We loved him anyway.
Jay was always the life of the party and requested that the family not hold funeral services. True to form, he wanted them to have a party. Celebrations are planned for later in the year.