Obituary of Jonathan Lee Pardee

Jonathan Lee Pardee, 70, of Lincolnville, and previously Islesboro, died on June 12, 2016, at Waldo County General Hospital after a period of declining health. Jon was born October 13, 1945, in Philadelphia, PA, to parents Schuyler and Ann J.S. (Pearre) Pardee. He was the second of five children. Jon grew up in New Vernon, NJ, and graduated from Morristown High School in 1963. He came to love folk, blues, and jazz music, and as a high school student spent more time than he should have in the folk and blues clubs of Greenwich Village. After graduating high school, he enlisted in United States Navy and served on an ammunition ship during the war in Vietnam. Following his service, he obtained his union apprenticeship in wooden boat building in Seattle, Washington. He followed his love of the ocean and sailing to the Eastern Shore of Virginia where he married Jody Wilson and celebrated the births of his son and daughter. In 1981 he and his young family moved to midcoast Maine. There he pursued his career finishing custom yachts, including Whitefin, which was launched in 1984. His woodwork was truly an art and photos of it would be found in several classic boatbuilding and sailing magazines during that time. Later he moved to Islesboro, where he remarried and lived with his loving wife Priscilla, and worked for many years as a custom finish carpenter on island summer homes. Later, he returned to maritime service with the Maine Ferry Service. He finished his career working for the Town of Islesboro before retiring in 2010. Jon appreciated craftsmanship in any field, and was a skilled artisan in his own right. He was a loving father and hardworking provider for his young family. He was a voracious reader, and never tired of learning and new experiences. As a younger man, he often dreamed of leaving his life on land and joining many of his Maine friends in the more bohemian life, living aboard – and abroad. He loved to travel, and had a special fondness for Martha’s Vineyard, where he summered with his family as a child and later with his own children. Jon also developed a very special connection to the Philippine Islands, which he visited often with Priscilla and where he spent many of his best days after retirement. Jon is survived by his wife Priscilla, his daughter Ariel Ann and her children Zack and Anna, his brothers William Lyon of Westport, MA, and Thomas Nelson of Chappaquiddick, MA and Dunedin, FL, his sister Katharine Francis of Oxford, England, and his step-mother Patricia Pardee of Batavia, IL. He was predeceased by his son Jonathan Schuyler, “Sky”, his older brother Schuyler, and his parents. Services will be private. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at ripostafh.com. Arrangements are under the care of Riposta Funeral Home, 182 Waldo Ave., Belfast.