Obituary: John Frederick Lemon

John Frederick Lemon

BRUNSWICK – John Frederick Lemon, 86, passed away suddenly on Aug. 20, 2026, at home with his wife, Constance Kniffin, in Brunswick, Maine.

He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Jan. 21, 1940, the first child of his parents, Frederick A. and Jane T. Lemon. John’s early years were shaped by WWII. After the war, his parents moved the family to New York City, N.Y., in 1946 to seek a better life. They were naturalized together in 1953. John grew up in the Bronx, delivering newspapers and developing a lifelong love of reading.

He was the first in the family to attend college, earning a B.A. from Centre College in Kentucky and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. After returning to New York to begin his career, John taught himself to sail from a book, bought an 18-foot sailboat, and sailed more than 100 miles alone from City Island to the tip of Long Island.

John spent the early decades of his career working his way up at the Irving Trust Company, where long hours and frequent international travel eventually made him choose a different path. He moved to Maine with his first wife, Holly, and their two children, Fred and Emily, where he started his own business.

In his mid-50s, John changed course again and earned his master’s in social work at Boston College, becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Later, he met Connie, with whom he shared many years of laughter, travel, sailing, dancing, and treasured family moments.

In his early 70s, John embraced another adventure. With his family’s encouragement, he bought his final sailboat, Reverie II, which he sailed from Maine to Florida along the Intracoastal Waterway.

Following his own Parkinson’s diagnosis, John drew on his years of experience as an LCSW to lead a Parkinson’s support group in Brunswick.

He always had a twinkle in his eye and found beauty in the world around him. John dearly loved his family, his wife’s baking, poetry, music, and the salt sea. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

John is survived by his wife Constance Kniffin; and his sister, Dorothy of Largo, Fla.; his children Fred and Emily; his grandchildren Taylor, Joseph, and Kate Lemon and Sabrina Stix; as well as his stepchildren Spencer Keith and Catharine LaPuma; and his step-grandchildren Badger and Bear Keith, and Alexander, Caroline, Sophia, and Grace LaPuma.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation, National Public Radio, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Copy the Story Link