John P. Gleason, 88, died peacefully on January 24, 2011 at his home in Derry, NH. He was born on June 20, 1922 in Everett, MA, the son of the late Percy E. and Mabel (Flint) Gleason. He attended Winchester High School and the New Hampton Preparatory School in New Hampton, NH and the University of NH - Durham where he graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration. Mr. Gleason served with the U.S. Army Air Force during WWII, as an aircraft mechanic. He attained the commission of Major while serving in the Air Force Reserve from 1949 to 1977.
Following his graduation from UNH he moved to Columbus, OH and worked for Lewis-Shepard Materials Handling Equipment and for North American Aviation, Inc. Returning to New England in 1952 he became a senior industrial engineer at Raytheon Mfg. Co in Waltham, MA. He was later employed at Sylvania Electric Products in Hillsboro, NH. While living in Hillsboro he began a life long interest and dedication to community service. He was a selectman, planning board member, water board commissioner and a member of the civil air patrol. On his move to Derry in 1963 he was employed by Sanders Assoc. in Nashua as an industrial engineer. He held other civil and industrial engineering positions and retired from engineering in 1998.
John was a State Representative (Republican) for Derry for 14 years, 7 terms. In Derry he was an elected School Board Member, Town Selectman, Planning Board Member and Water Board commissioner. In 2005 Derry selected and honored him, awarding him the Derry Living Treasure Award for dedicated service to the town of Derry.
John was a member of the UNH alumni Assoc. and the Ben Thompson Club. He had received many civic awards through his life for his community service. After his first marriage ended in a divorce in 1981, John married Louise Hayes of Framingham, MA on Valentine’s Day, 1982 and they were married for 24 years. He loved the ocean and he and his wife Louise often returned to Coastal Maine. It was there they found their beloved cat, Blueberry.
By his first marriage he had two children, Spencer Lucas Gleason and Wendy A. Gleason. He is survived by his daughter; Wendy A. Gleason of Ashburnham, MA. He is also survived by Louise’s children; Marianne Stevens of Amesbury, MA, Susan Mamon of Altamont Springs, FL, Kelly Johnson of Ashland, MA, Joseph Hayes of Holliston, MA and Michael Hayes of Hopedale, MA. John is also survived by his close friend Jeannette Lund of Manchester, NH. He was predeceased by his wife, Louise Hayes Gleason in 2006, his son, Spencer L. Gleason in 1986 and by one sister, Ann G. Hanfield-Frost in 2003.
Graveside services with military honors will be held in the spring in the Forest Hill Cemetery, E. Derry. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made in his memory to the NH Humane Society, c/o NHHS PO Box 572, Laconia, NH 03247 or to his alma mater UNH or UNH Foundation, Inc., Elliott Alumni Center, 9 Edgewood Road, Durham, NH 03824-1934.