WEST PARIS — John Lyndon Ames passed away on Saturday, Jan. 29, at Ledgeview Nursing Home in West Paris, after a battle with cancer. He was 80.

He was born on July 26, 1930, in Auburn, to Chauncey Ames and Maude Chute Ames. His family moved to South Paris when he was about ten years old, and he graduated from Paris High School in 1948.

He loved trains. At the age of 19 he began his lifelong career with the Canadian National Railroad as a telegraph operator, which he greatly enjoyed. He worked at railroad stations in New England, New York and Ontario and took thousands of photographs of trains, many of which were later published.

Although unable to serve in the military, he volunteered for civil defense, and was also a member of the Grange in West Paris.

He married Mary Jane Abbott on May 24, 1969, and they moved to Gorham, N.H. in 1970, because John was working primarily at the station in Berlin. They became active in the Community Baptist Church, where John served as deacon, trustee and Sunday school superintendent for many years. He was a loving and faithful husband and father, and a great encouragement and support to his two daughters when they became missionaries.

His hobbies included building model railroad cars, doing crossword puzzles, and playing Scrabble. He was a good cook and made many delicious soups. He enjoyed living near Mt. Washington and taking visitors up the Auto Road to the summit. For several years he had his own backyard weather station and kept careful records of his observations.

After he retired from the railroad in 1992, he joined the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and became a volunteer driver for the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), taking patients to the VA hospital in White River Junction, Vt., which he enjoyed very much. In 2007 he was recognized for having driven more than 200,000 miles for the DAV.

In 2009 he and Mary Jane moved to Ledgeview Living Center in West Paris. For the last four months he was a resident of Ledgeview Nursing Home, where he received excellent, loving care.

He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Mary Jane Ames of West Paris; daughter, Alice Corbett and husband, Jack, of Sanford, Fla., and their children, Danielle, Evan and Regan; daughter, Lois Tignor and husband, Chris, of Portoviejo, Ecuador, and their children Elisabeth, James, Grace, Christina and Daniel; several nieces and nephews; and his beloved cat, Josey.

He was predeceased by his parents; and two older siblings, Leona Ames James and Harold C. Ames.

“But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:12.)

 Online condolences may be shared with his family at www.andrewsgreenleaf.com.