Obituary of John Rodney Lunt

John Rodney Lunt Jr., 83, passed away at his home in Warren, Maine on January 25, 2014 after a battle with cancer. He was born on the Island Fishing Village of Frenchboro, Maine on Nov. 3, 1930, the youngest son of John R. Lunt Sr. and Flora Evelyn (Eva) Lunt. John, blessed with an easy smile and laid-back demeanor, was a lifelong fisherman who also enjoyed country music, hunting, attending church services, playing baseball, and Boston Red Sox games. Born into a large family at a time when fishing was poor and money was scarce, John began work at an early age to help support his parents, whether cutting and hauling firewood through the island woods on a handmade sled, or gathering and hunting food for the family table. He began his lobster fishing career working several years with his older brother Sanford before he bought his first boat which he named “Ralph and Eva.” In the early 1960s, he had built a 34-foot wooden-hulled boat that he named “Rebecca Jane,” after his first wife. He fished in that boat for more than four decades until he retired. In addition to lobster fishing, John worked with his brothers and other relatives seining for herring, which they sold for sardines or lobster bait, and catching codfish. John was also a hunter, whether for birds or deer, was in charge of the Tagging Station, and was well-known as the go-to person when another islander needed help processing a harvested animal. John was Fire Chief of the local Fire Department for 33 years. John also loved playing baseball. He was the catcher for the island’s town team for years and also played for a team in Southwest Harbor. He was an iconic fixture at the annual Frenchboro Lobster Festival, where he cooked hundreds of pounds of lobsters served to hungry visitors for more than 50 years. John's Coffee Shop was a popular meeting place for 32 years for the fishermen of the Island to go for early morning coffee attempting to solve all the "world problems", etc. This home sat on the banks of Lunt Harbor overlooking his dock. The Oprah Winfrey show had chosen Frenchboro as one of 3 unique places to live, upon learning that they were newlyweds, she interviewed John and Helen in John's Coffee Shop located within their dining room, and back deck overlooking Lunt Harbor. Oprah later interviewed John via Skype, noting that John was the last native born of the Island. After John retired from lobster fishing, he greatly enjoyed traveling and sightseeing with his second wife, Helen, throughout New England, Prince Edward Island and Canada. John is survived by his second wife, Helen (Degerstrom) Lunt of Warren. He is survived by two sisters, Mable Hall of Westbrook and Catherine Poor of Warren. A daughter, Eva of Southwest Harbor, a son Ralph and his wife Carmen of Puerto Rico; as well as four grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren) and many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents, his first wife, Rebecca (Reed) Lunt; and twelve siblings: A Celebration of Life will be held at South Hope Community Church, 142 Main Street, Route 17, South Hope, Maine on March 8th at 1:00 pm. A graveside service and parade of boats to honor John will take place on the Island of Frenchboro in June. Contributions in memory of John may be given to I Kno-Wal-Lin Homecare & Hospice, 170 Pleasant St., Rockland ME 04841. They provided John the best of care enabling John to be at home