Obituary of John Tremblay

Capt. John W. Tremblay, 70, died suddenly at his home in Belfast, Maine, on March 11th, 2014, after fighting serious cardio-vascular and pulmonary issues most of his life. He was found by his close friend, Capt. John David Waterhouse, with whom he spent his last day. John was born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 24th, 1943, to the late Wilfrid and Mary (Saunders) Tremblay, highly-regarded musicians in that city and in southern Maine. As a young boy, he studied piano and organ with his father; in his teens and into early adulthood, he studied advanced pipe organ with M. Bernard Piché of Lewiston and later, Three Rivers Quebec. He was a supremely gifted musician, and composed inspiring organ and choral works that were performed in many churches throughout Maine. His anthem, “Psalm 65,” was premiered in 1975 by the choir of Park Street Church in Boston, accompanied and conducted by the composer. From his teen years until the end of his life, he free-lanced as an organ builder, pipe voicer, and restorer throughout New England. He was a member of St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Ellsworth, and performed supply organist duties there and in many churches in the mid-coast region. St. Dunstan’s will receive the compete library of John’s compositions. John also loved the sea. As a young man, he worked along the Portland-South Portland waterfront, serving as dispatcher, shore manager, and stock and tool room supervisor for a variety of companies. He was a proud member of the crew that repaired the hull of the Mayflower II in 1968 at (then) Storey Marine Railway in South Portland. His waterfront service through the 70s and 80s culminated in his years as ship’s engineer with the Longfellow Cruise Line in Portland. In 1998, he earned his 2000 mile maritime captain's license for small vessels. John is survived by his sister, Elin Lee, of Massachusetts (who treasures many happy memories of restoring pipe organs with her big brother during her teens, and evening cruises with him on the MV Longfellow in later years), a cousin Steve Ross of Waterboro, and extended family members. His family and friends will miss him very much. John’s memorial service will be held at St. Dunstan’s Church at a later date; arrangements are pending. His ashes will be scattered near the family cottage in Hancock, Maine, where he and Elin enjoyed happy childhood times.