John Conrad Hampe, Jr. of Dedham and West Harwich, passed away peacefully on June 13, 2026 at the age of 94. He was a beloved son, husband, brother, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend, and he will be deeply missed.
John is survived by his wife Gwen, sons John III of Dedham, and James and wife Amy and their son Ben of Arlington, sisters-in-law Elizabeth Hampe and Eleanor Casey, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father John Sr., mother Gertrude, brother Robert, nephew Robert, and brother-in-law Robert Casey.
John was a lifelong resident of Dedham and also enjoyed many years living in West Harwich. He graduated from Dedham High School and Northeastern University, where he earned an honors degree in Mechanical Engineering and was a member of the Engineering Honors Society, Pi Tau Sigma. John was an avid trombone player and was president of the marching band at both Dedham High and Northeastern.
Following college, he entered Officer Candidate School and proudly served in the Navy as gunnery officer (Lt.JG) where captained a PT boat in the Beach Jumper unit based in Coronado, California.
He returned to Dedham after the Navy and began his long career as a mechanical engineer, first at Bethlehem Steel in Quincy Ma, then spent most of his career as chief electrical/mechanical engineer at the Coast Guard including overseeing lighthouses through the Northeast Coast (which he loved to climb!), and finished his career working for the State of Massachusetts and private practice.
John followed in his father’s footsteps as a member of the Savin Hill Yacht Club in Dorchester and was an avid sailer. From Savin Hill, he taught his boys how to sail and taking many family vacations along to eastern Massachusetts coast and Cape Cod. He loved entertaining his extended family and friends on a sail in Boston Harbor and beyond. He was a member of the American Legion Marching Band in Milton and he passed along his love for music by teaching his sons to play the trumpet. He also loved sharing the outdoors with his family (and beloved dog, Teddy) on camping trips in the summer and ski trips in the winter, particularly throughout New England and Eastern Canada. He served as a Dedham Town Meeting member for many years. John remained busy in his retirement, building airplane and ship models and gardening, and there seemed to be nothing that he couldn’t fix with his engineering mindset and creativity.
The Hampe family would like to thank the numerous home health professionals who helped to enable John to live at his cherished home for as long as possible, and also the entire team at Brockton Veteran’s Affairs Hospice for their care and compassion for John and his family.
A Funeral Mass will be held in St. Anne’s Church, 90 W. Milton St, Readville on Friday, June 19 at 11:00am. Interment in Brookdale Cemetery, Dedham.
In lieu of flowers please honor John with a donation to the Davenport-Mugar Cancer Center at Cape Cod Hospital or the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.