1942 – 2014

NEW GLOUCESTER — John David Paine, 72, of New Gloucester, died Friday, Dec. 19, 2014, from Alzheimer’s.

Born Sept. 5, 1942, to John and Grace Paine, John passed his self-described “misspent youth” in Mansfield, Mass., concocting creative mischief with his buddies, Willie and Brad.

John received his B.A. from Bentley College and M.B.A. in finance from Suffolk University. In his early 30s, he built a career owning and managing real estate, starting two companies aptly named Independence and Freedom.

In 1968, he married Patricia Spellerberg and they raised their sons, Jonathan and Nathan, in Arlington, Mass. John had a particularly close and lasting bond with his sons.

In 2000 he moved to New Gloucester and married Elisabeth Eustis. Their marriage was one of deep love and much laughter. They had a shared delight in the Maine outdoors, traveling and puttering on their 1786 farm. John was a fixture at the Auburn Lewiston Municipal Airport, where he flew his beloved single-engine planes.

John loved humor and was a fount of bad jokes, witticisms and puns. People turned to him in times of trouble because he was a good listener with a knack for handing back the one nugget of wisdom they needed to make it through.

Alzheimer’s was a particularly cruel fate for a man defined by his independence and competency, yet John accepted the diagnosis with remarkable grace. Our heartfelt thanks to the friends who walked this long and dark path at our side, the Alzheimer’s Association of Maine for its support and Sedgewood Commons in Falmouth where he spent the end of his life.

A special thanks to the staff of the Auburn Y and Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli whose kind care and tact allowed John to remain part of the community well into his dementia.

John leaves his wife, Elisabeth Paine of New Gloucester; his former wife, Patricia Paine of Windham; his sons, Jonathan and his wife, Rachel, of Lincoln, R.I., and Nathan and his wife, Shiho, of Ross, Calif.; five grandchildren; and two sisters, Katherine McIntyre and Patricia Perry of Texas.

A full obituary is at www.dolbyfuneralchapels.com.