John W. Needham
John W. Needham, 82, born in Portland on August 26, 1935 to Delmar and Gladys Needham, passed away peacefully with family by his side on August 1, 2017. He attended Portland Schools and most recently lived in Westbrook. ~
John’s passion in life was cars, particularly fast ones.~ He was happy and proud to be part of the stock car circuit from the Maritimes to Beech Ridge to Daytona, decades before NASCAR became popular. He bought, sold and worked on thousands of vehicles throughout his life. He enjoyed the hunt to find specialized parts for race cars, especially in the days when it required multiple personal and business connections. In his younger years, John worked at sea, and carried stories from those days into his later years. He spent time in Tenants Harbor and Port Clyde area, building lobster traps. He also served in the Army, stationed in Germany.
Always hard working and continuously on the run, John was selling multiple cars even in the last days of his life.~ He liked gardening, especially his containers of tomatoes and cukes.~ He treasured his signed Wyeth prints and was proud to be a cousin of the man featured in Andrew Wyeth’s “Young Fisherman and Dory”.~ “Grampa John” always welcomed and enjoyed visits from his grandchildren.~ A cold (regular!) Pepsi as well other treats “for the kiddies” were always close by, accompanied by stories of adventures from his younger years.
John was predeceased by his wife, Ella (Douglass) Needham. He is survived by his brother, Delmar Needham, Jr. of Windham; his daughter, Sherry Wilkins (Tim) of Freeport; and his son, Steven Needham (June) of Standish. He also leaves five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. At his request, there will be no services.
Online condolences may be expressed below.
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