SCARBOROUGH – Jon Francis DiMauro died peacefully on Aug. 31, 2022 at Gosnell House with his devoted wife Lisa Bess by his side. He was born April 30, 1960 and raised in South Portland.
Jon possessed a presence, a quiet elegance unlike anyone anywhere. His stunning blue-green eyes spoke out, searching and kind, filled with thoughts and humor, as though he’d contemplated and fully enjoyed 1000 years seeing through them. Because he was trustworthy, people sought out his good opinion. He was a great listener with highly-tuned ears. He was attentive and thoughtful, an easy-going spirit who weighed his words carefully before speaking.
As a carpenter and a contractor, Jon declared himself twice over to be the luckiest guy in the world. He woke each morning grinning enthusiastic about the day ahead. Even better, he worked with his best friend – his brother Joe. He always spoke of an undeniable flow, a harmony they shared which often allowed them to accomplish the work of three men in one day. The brothers also shared a love of sailing the Virgin Islands where they believed the ocean to be a powerful, healing medicine for the body, spirit and soul.
Jon adored his sisters Jan and Joanne. He and Jan shared a side-splitting humor and he raved about her spot-on impersonation of Cher. He felt a kinship with Joanne whose tender, sweet soul mirrored his own and took pride in describing her success as an NYC Rockette. Additionally, Jon admired and cherished his niece, Nicki and his two nephews, Ryan and Gregg. Jon’s love of Italian culture was monumental and no family gathering was complete without his mother Gloria’s breaded, pan-fried zucchini or holiday pizzelles.
Beyond family, the voice of nature called out to Jon. In response, he built a remote waterfront camp Downeast. There, he could be alone, play his ukulele, build shorefront blazes, go days without speaking and still crave more silence. Solitude was his heaven on earth. To be perfectly at ease, eyes closed, listening to the birds in the trees suited him. He preferred binoculars over a phone. He was a gentle, contemplative soul who could whistle, imitating many birds, successfully calling them in. Baffling the songbirds gave him a quirky pleasure.
Like his father, Jon had a lifelong passion for golf, blooming onions, and all-you-can-eat buffets. He was a dew sweeper at Riverside and loved every minute on the course. Collecting lost balls from the gully and stream lit him up. He redistributed the balls to other golfers knowing everybody enjoyed saving a few bucks. Jon’s natural grace and athleticism extended into absolutely any sport including skiing and karate. He loved basketball, baseball and soccer and was awarded athlete of the year in high school. If on the sidelines, he’d yell his lungs out to cheer on his teammates.
Jon’s inner peace was his true gold – his favorite treasure. He valued being told the truth. Operating a good attitude meant everything to him. He often said, “Control your mind. Control your world.” He meant it and had little understanding for those who lived bitter, upset, or offended. He’d say, “Life’s too short. Don’t let anyone steal your peace.” Jon lived advocating to choose peace in any circumstance. He particularly embraced these beliefs when he became ill.
With his beloved wife Lisa by his side, Jon spent his last 46 months courageously determined to live well despite facing severe physical disabilities, many surgeries, difficult treatments and a stream of tough diagnoses related to brain and throat cancer. He was committed to beat the odds, to become an outlier, and he did. He lived into the less than 2 percent category.
All throughout, Jon never quit smiling, joking, hoping, or trying his best. Doctors doubted he’d leave his wheelchair, but his dedication to rigorous PT won him enough mobility to drive, which he loved. He focused on what he could do, not the 10,000 things he couldn’t. If he woke up, he called the day a gift! Most good days he and Lisa played Scrabble while sipping their morning coffee. His sensitivity, wit, wisdom, connection to spirit, and truthful, authentic lifestyle shone warm as the sun. His attitude amazed people.
Jon was continuously awestruck by the stellar level of medical and emotional care he received from day one. The kindness he sensed at every checkup, treatment, surgery, scan, infusion, transport or ZOOM astounded him. He felt privileged. He had epic appreciation for everyone. To attempt to name out the legion of beautiful souls engaged in Jon’s health journey is impossible. Jon believed that anyone working in any aspect of healthcare or emergency services deserves love, warmth and all the respect in the world.
From the start of his illness, Jon and Lisa were an inseparable team. All along they were best friends and each other’s everything. Jon was grateful for the loving support and care that Lisa gave to him day-in-and-day-out never leaving his side.
More than 21 years together would have been beautiful, but Lisa and Jon concentrated on the time they did have which was magnificent.
Jon was predeceased by his father, Joseph Di Mauro Sr.
Jon is survived by his beloved wife, Lisa Bess; his mother, Gloria C DiMauro; his brother, Joseph DiMauro Jr. and wife Ursula, his sisters Joanne DiMauro and husband Bruno Iannone, Jan DiMauro; niece Nicole Woods, his nephews, Gregg Woods, Ryan Farr and partner Janet Keith; and his cousins Joseph and Vanessa Capelluti and family; Judith and Jerry McConnell and family; Donald, Richard, Susan, Cindy, Robert, George, Lisa DiMauro and families; Angela, Ann Marie and Joseph Dominicus.
Funeral Director, Chad B. Poitras, is a rare person. His heartfelt warmth, sincerity, and compassion are exceptional.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to:
The Marie Joseph Spiritual Center
10 Evans Rd.
Biddeford, ME 04005
207-284-5671