AUBURN — James A. Calnan Jr., 78, of Lewiston died Monday, Aug. 14, at the Hospice House of Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice in Auburn.

Jay was born on Sept. 16, 1938, in Boston, the first child of J. Arthur and Laura E. McKown Calnan Sr. He and his mother were still in the hospital in Boston when the great hurricane of ’38 hit New England.

He lived in Hingham, Mass., where he started his schooling before moving to Hallowell in July 1945. After graduating from Hallowell High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, proudly serving in Germany in the 3rd Armored Division under the command of Gen. Creighton W. Abrams. Upon his return to Maine, Jay continued serving in the U.S. Army Reserves, attending Officer Candidate School, the engineer officer basic and advanced courses, and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in September 1998, with 32 and a half years of service to his country.

In 1962, Jay began working for the Maine State Highway Commission (later to become the Maine Department of Transportation), beginning on a surveying crew and later as a supervisor. He retired in August 2000 after 38 years of service with the MDOT. He was an active member of the Maine State Employees Association, serving in several capacities.

Jay was a model railroad enthusiast, joining the Great Falls Model Railroad Club in 1996, later becoming club president from 2014 to 2016. In addition to presenting numerous model railroad shows around the state, Jay also presented for Operation Lifesaver, a railroad safety program.

Jay married Suzanne Pelletier of Lewiston on Nov. 27, 1975. During their almost 42 years of marriage, Sue and Jay enjoyed traveling around the country and visiting many of the nation’s national parks. They particularly enjoyed their summertime sightseeing adventures with their nephews, Chris and Matt.

Jay was an avid golfer, enjoying playing rounds of golf with his buddies in the MDOT Twilight Golf League, and served as the Winthrop High School golf coach for four years. He was also an expert downhill skier. He joined the Lost Valley Handicapped Ski Association (later to become the Central Maine Adaptive Ski Program) as a ski coach, and served as its president/vice president.

He is survived by his loving wife, Suzanne of Lewiston; a son, Robert and his son, Ryan of N.H.; a daughter, Lisa Olander and husband, Henry, of Conn.; a sister, Priscilla Daniels and her two sons, Jeffrey and wife, Maria, and Peter and wife, Tricia, all of Fla.; two sisters-in-law, Pauline Cote and husband, Paul, of Auburn, and their two sons, Christopher and Matthew, and Claudette Coy of Turner.

Beside his parents, he was predeceased by his in-laws, Bertrand and Laurette Pelletier; and a brother-in-law, David Coy.

Condolences and donations may be found online at www.albert-burpee.com.

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