1923 – 2014

LEWISTON — John Lee Ault, 91, of Winthrop, died Thursday afternoon, Oct. 30, at Central Maine Medical Center, with his immediate family near.

Born in Auburn on Aug. 25, 1923, a son of Charles Ault and Ruth (Dobson) Ault, John initially attended local schools. He was a passionate member of the Boy Scouts and became an Eagle Scout in 1940. The Ault family moved to Wayne in 1942. John attended Manlius Military School in New York, from which he graduated in 1943.

For 66 years, John was an active devoted member of the Asylum Lodge, No. 133, A.F. and A.M., in Leeds, which was originally located in Wayne. He filled many offices in the lodge and served as master of the lodge from 1973 to 1974. John was a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason and a member of the Valley of the Androscoggin in Auburn, as well as a member of the Valley of Portland. He was a member of Winthrop Royal Arch Chapter No. 37 since 1950, past illustrious master of Dunlap No. 8 Council of Royal and Select Masters and past commander of Lewiston No. 6 Commandery.

John served during World War II as a “sea-going” U.S. Marine aboard the aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto from 1943 to 1945, participating in all sea battle engagements in the South Pacific, and finally witnessing the surrender ceremony on Sept. 2, 1945, which took place in Japan aboard the battleship USS Missouri. John was very proud of his military service; in later years, he expressed a pacifist outlook and often lamented the futility of war.

In 1950, John met Elaine Tufts of New Gloucester at a Legion hall dance in Farmington. John was a vivid dancer who loved to jitterbug. The two married in 1951.

John rejoined the military as a member of the U.S. Army Signal Corps and served stateside, with Elaine at his side, from Augusta, Ga., to San Luis Obispo, Calif., where he taught cryptography. John was discharged in 1954, and moved first to Brighton and then Brockton, Mass., where he primarily worked for a utility company.

For several years, he pursued higher education in the evenings. John was awarded a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bentley College in 1969. John and Elaine returned to Maine that same year with their two children, Brian and Julie, and have since resided in Winthrop.

John took a position as a business manager with the state of Maine Planning Office, until he retired in 1994. John loved to work and delighted in the convivial culture of teamwork. He relished communication and every conversation, no matter how temporary or sustained.

Once retired, he became an ardent reader of spiritual, metaphysical and natural science literature. John had his favorite armchair at Barnes and Noble in Augusta, where he and Elaine visited daily for years. Known for his relentlessly optimistic outlook and idiosyncratic sense of humor, John embodied a love of Maine, a profound respect for nature and a strong desire for social justice. Both down-to-Earth and “in the stars,” he remained curious and open-minded his entire life.

A loving husband, father, brother and son, John is survived by his wife of 63 years, Elaine; his son, Brian; his daughter, Julie; his brothers, Richard, Peter and David; and his sisters, Ruthie, Jane Lindholm and Sara Fasciano.

His parents, Charles and Ruth; brothers, William, Charles, Robert and James; and sister, Mary, predeceased John.

Memories, condolences, photos and videos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of www.khrfuneralhomes.com.