John Howard Gay III, 88, of Gainesville, Fla., and formerly of South Bristol, passed away unexpectedly on the morning of Dec. 28, 2012 with his wife, Pamela Buck, at his side.
He was born in Philadelphia on May 6, 1924, the son of John Howard Gay Jr. and Margaret Rowland Gay. He had one sister, Adelaide Gay Hawkins.
Following his graduation from William Penn Charter School, John proudly joined the U.S. Navy in WWII, becoming a part of our greatest generation. The young ensign qualified to fly aircraft and his duties in the Pacific included picking up pilots who had been shot down at sea, and thus saving lives. He would continue his naval career following the war, remaining in the Naval Reserve. He attained the rank of Commander, and flew a number of aircraft, including lighter than airships (blimps) and P2V’s.
Following the war, he returned home and became a part of the class of 1949 at Harvard University. In the yearbook commemorating the 25th anniversary of his graduation he wrote, “Graduated by gum, I was as surprised as a lot of other people.” Upon graduation, he married Sarah Freeman Dodson and moved to South Bristol where he began the life of a commercial fisherman. He fished first for Burley Staples and Corliss Farrin as a purse seiner, later fishing for himself as an independent lobsterman. He owned two boats, the Doris E. and the Pelican.
John had developed a love for the Maine Coast as a child, as his parents had a summer home in Sargentville. John also had a blasting and well digging business with Roland McFarland for a time. During this period, John and Sally started their family, having three daughters together. Margaret was born in August of 1951, Sarah in May of 1953, and Deborah in May of 1957.
He served the town of South Bristol in a number of capacities. He served on the board of selectmen, where he served as chairman, and the Board of Assessors. He became a member of Anchor Lodge of Masons AF & AM (Now Alna-Anchor), and was also a member of the Shriners at Kora Temple.
Around 1960 John went to work for Vast, Inc., later to become Tracor Marine. At first he worked out of their facility in South Bristol, but would later transfer to their facility in St. Croix, USVI. He would leave Tracor Marine and go to work for the University of Delaware where he would captain one of their research vessels. During this period, he lived in Milton, Del. A lot of young people worked for John and many of them owe, in no small part, their future success to his input in their lives. His style of leadership was to teach rather than dictate, to lead rather than drive. To mention a few here would be to leave many unmentioned. Let it be sufficient that he had clear memories of all of you.
Around 1989, John retired and moved back to Maine. John always loved working with his hands and working in wood. He set about building his home in South Bristol himself. To a degree, he allowed family and friends to lend a hand from time to time, but the house project had been his dream for years and he savored his time alone during the construction. He used rough-cut lumber and planed each individual board by hand. The house is a testament to what one man can do when he sets his mind to something, but that was John.
In the years that followed the construction of his home, John’s need to wander took hold and he relocated several times. He remarried to Pamela Buck. They have lived in Delaware, Virginia and Florida.
John was predeceased by his parents and his sister.
He is survived by his wife, Pamela Buck; stepdaughters, Lindsey Lee and husband Mike, and Mandy Buck; daughters, Margaret Gay Lavender and husband John, Sarah Gay Stackhouse and husband Charles, and Deborah Gay Newell and husband Richard; grandchildren, Stephen Lavender, Sally Williams and husband Chad, Katherine Stackhouse, Samantha Griffin and husband James, Stephanie Moore and husband Lee, and Jonathan Newell and fiancée Alexandra Chambers; step-grandson, Thomas Lavender and wife Jennifer; great-grandchildren, Gabriel, Elizabeth, Alexander and Adelaide Griffin; and step great-grandson, Owen Lavender.
At John’s request there will be no service. His ship has pulled away from the dock. The next adventure has begun. He sails to the second star on the right and straight on until morning.
Condolences, and messages for John’s family, may be expressed by visiting www.StrongHancock.com.
