John Simon

HAMPDEN - John Joseph Simon, 85, passed away peacefully on May 1, 2025, at a Bangor hospital, with his wife and son at his bedside.

Born on May 28, 1939 in Millinocket, the son of Joseph C. Simon and Marie Victoria (“Cecile”) Simon (née Plourde), John was raised in South Portland and graduated from South Portland High School in 1958. He then attended the University of Maine, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering, in 1963. He worked in various roles for the US Department of Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Service for thirty-four years, first in Pennsylvania (where he and his young family lived for more than a decade) and then in Maine. His love of the natural beauty of his home state inspired him, during and after his time with the SCS, to design innovative solutions to preserve the water quality of Maine’s streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes.

In May of 1964, John met the love of his life, Noreen Marie Thorne, who agreed to accompany him on a date (their first) to celebrate his twenty-fifth birthday. Later that year, they married. They celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary last October.

In addition to his wife, John is survived by his son, Peter John Simon; his daughter-in-law, Kristin Dorothea Wald; his grandchildren, Beckett Walden Simon and Eliza Thea Simon, and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, John was predeceased by two brothers, Martin Caron and Neal Caron, and a sister, Dorothy Rowe (née Caron).

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11:00a.m. Friday, May 9, 2025, at St. Paul the Apostle Parish, St. John’s Catholic Church, 217 York St, Bangor. Friends and relatives are invited to share conversation and refreshments in St. John’s Parish Hall, immediately following the Mass. The Rite of Committal will be at a later date in Mount Pleasant Catholic Cemetery, Bangor. Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com.