WINTHROP – John Lacy Ford died peacefully on Friday, Aug. 12.

“Lacy” was born in New Orleans, La., on Feb. 4, 1922, to William and Ermine Ford; he was the second of their six children.

He spent the first 15 years of his life in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, after which he and his family moved to St. Louis, Mo.

He met Mary Louise Sheridan at a New Year’s Eve party in 1940, and they were married on August 9, 1944.

After graduating from high school, Lacy enlisted in the Marine Corps. He served in the Pacific Theatre, including the battle of Iwo Jima. He was discharged from the Marines in November of 1945.

He returned to St. Louis, where he and Mary raised their three children and he worked as a pharmaceutical representative. He and Mary retired to Maine in 1985 to be near family.

Lacy loved swimming and gardening and was a lifelong student of history. His insatiable curiosity and depth of knowledge inspired many an informal history lesson with his grandchildren, whom he loved unconditionally.

Lacy was predeceased by his parents, William and Ermine Ford; his brother, Richard Ford, who died while serving in World War II; and his brother-in-law, John Kustura.

Lacy is survived by his wife of 61 years, Mary Louise Sheridan Ford, of Winthrop; his son, Richard Ford of Denver, and his partner, Shari Fikany, and her daughter, Carley Inman; his daughter, Susan Simons of Readfield, her husband, Ron, and their children, Lacy Simons, Tim Simons, and Dan Simons and his fiance, Sarah Swift; his daughter, Barbara Rothe of Leeds and her husband, Richard Rothe, and their daughters, Kathryn Rothe and Elizabeth Rothe and her husband, Ryan Keith; his brothers, Edward Ford and wife, Lieng, of Gretna, La.; Gerard Ford and his wife, Eileen, of New York, N.Y.; Allen Ford and his wife, Nancy, of Bethesda, Md.; his sister, Margaret Wilson, of Waveland, Miss.; his sister-in-law, Jean Kustura, of St. Louis, Mo.

The family would like to acknowledge the compassionate and professional care Lacy received from the local medical community and especially the staff at Gray Birch.

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