Portland- John P. Morrill II 59, passed away Saturday May 7, 2016 after a six month long battle with cancer. His wife and daughter at his side. He was very courageous and fought hard.
John was born on the Naval Base in New London, CT. His family lived all over the United States. From ME and CT to FL, and TX to CA as his Father was in the Navy. They finally settled in Maine. His Grand Parents lived on PeaksIsland. Out of any State in the United States, John loved Maine the best.
As a child he took singing lessons and was in the Glee Club.He loved music. While in High School he joined a stage company making a movie that was to star Mickey Rooney, but the project fell through. He was a National Merit Scholarship Finalist.
He graduated from Portland High School in 1974, 4th out of 400.
After high school he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, he attended boot camp training in the Great Lakes, and was top man in his Navy class, then stationed in Pearl Harbor, HI for 6 yrs. He went all over the Pacific. China, Japan, Guam and the Philippines. A Fire Control Technician (sighting the guns in by computer) aboard a destroyer, the U.S.S. Joseph Strauss DDG16.
When attending boot camp in the Great Lakes he met the co-creator Gary Gygax of the popular board game "Dungeons & Dragons". He took part in the very first test paper game. The game was so popular it became a PC game. He was a "D&D" enthusiast, became a Dungeon Master; and held an ongoing game for more than 40 yrs. Sometimes games with players from all over the world.
Because of his love for music he was a self-taught guitarist. He played the bass guitar, and was in many bands such as: "The Generics", "Violent Archies" and "Stigma" to name a few. Playing anything from Rock and Roll, Hard Rock, Punk Rock to Heavy Metal. He even loved listening to Classical Music.
He loved to read, and learn new things. One summer he read a whole set of encyclopedias just for something to do. He retained everything he read. He was a big kid at heart, and he had a great sense of humor.
When shopping he would say: "It's better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it". He loved Science Fiction/ Fantasy books, those were his favorite. His all time favorite books were The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit.
In school he liked mathematics and always said: "No matter what you do in life there is always math involved." He was a great History buff and loved Science.
John loved many kinds of movies, again ScienceFiction/Fantasy movies were his favorite. And, if you wanted to know something about a certain movie, you just asked John. He knew who starred in them, who wrote them, who directed them, and even who produced them. How much they cost to make, and how much they made at the box office. His all time favorite movie is Alien.
Besides being a musician he was also an artist. He loved to draw. He also wrote a partial Science Fiction manuscript with some illustrations attached.
He was a brother, an Uncle to many, and the greatest Father any child could ever want. He met the love of his life Katherine, and future wife; at the tender age of 14, They were married on July 2, 1982, married almost 34 yrs. He is pre-deceased by his Father John P. Morrill I. He is survived by his Mother Waneta L.(Norwood) Morrill of Portland, his sisters Jennie E. Morrill, and Peggy A. Morrill both of Portland, a brother Thomas D. Morrill also of Portland. His wife Katherine T.(Hethcoat) Morrill of Portland, and a daughter Joleen P. Morrill of Standish. Many nieces and nephews. A Military Service to be held in Augusta, and a Celebration of Life both will be announced at a later date. Details coming soon.....