John Denison Cole II

John was born in St. Louis, Missouri on July 13, 1934, the second of three sons, to Sanford Henry and Louise Moffett Cole. He graduated from Littleton High School in New Hampshire and attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston before joining the U.S. Navy in 1953. John served 4 years on the U.S.S. Saratoga, then attended the University of New Hampshire, where he obtained a B.A. in English Literature. In 1957 he married Helen O’Rourke of Boston with whom he had two sons, John Denison Cole III and Lawrence Sanford Cole. John taught English for several years at the Hinckley School in Fairfield, Maine and Thomas College in Waterville. He married his second wife Janet Atwood in 1977 and they shared over 40 years together, up until the time of his passing.

John took an interest in drawing and painting at an early age, and became an accomplished painter, sculptor, woodworker and writer in his adult life. He earned a Master’s degree at the Breadloaf School of English at Middlebury College and in 1980, after years of painting portraits and still life’s in oils as a hobby, he turned his attention to wood carving and started his own custom carved sign business Wooden-O. He later returned to teaching, at Franklin Academy in Sabattus, and wrote fiction based on his teenage years in the late 40’s and early 50’s in Littleton, New Hampshire. After retirement John returned to oil painting as a hobby and for the enjoyment of his family and friends. He became fascinated by the account of the 1990 heist of the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston, and his research on the robbery prompted him to focus on reproducing certain stolen works by Vermeer and Rembrandt, as well as paintings by Mary Cassatt and John Singer Sargent which remain on display at the Gardner to this day.

John possessed a love of music which continued throughout his entire life, and he and his wife Janet enjoyed countless live performances of Classical, swing jazz, musicals, and folk music. He encouraged his children, stepchildren, and grandchildren to better themselves through the pursuit of knowledge and exposure to the arts, and was always delighted to learn new things from them as well.

John was predeceased by his older brother Sanford (Sandy). He is survived by his wife Janet A Cole of Portland; his son John D. Cole III and wife Meg and their six children, of Durham; his son Lawrence S. Cole and wife Natsuko and their two children, of Louisville, Kentucky; his stepson Eric Drew and his wife Deborah and their son, of Portland; his stepdaughter Stacia Drew and her husband Steve Traficonte and their two children, of Cumberland; his brother Peter and his wife Judy and their two children, of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.

The family invites you to attend visiting hours on Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00pm at Jones, Rich & Barnes Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St, Portland, ME 207-775-3763. A Graveside service will be private and at a later date.

The family requests donations be made in John’s memory to Portland Ovations, 50 Monument Sq, 2nd Floor, Portland ME 04101.