BANGOR – At 6:08 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2005, John Harper Babcock was welcomed by all the Saints in Heaven. The eldest son of Robert H. and Rosemary K. Babcock, he had arrived in this world on Feb. 17, 1960 in Albany, N.Y. At the age of three, John was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy (M.D). As a teenager his disability worsened, forcing him to live the remainder of his life in a wheelchair. Augmented by his own keen intelligence, good humor and fiercely independent spirit, John overcame daunting obstacles in order to graduate from Bangor High School in 1978, and in 1982 from the University of Maine, where he majored in journalism and broadcasting. Two years later he earned a master’s degree in the same fields from Fairfield University in Connecticut. Returning to the Bangor area and easily recognized for his bright red hair, handsome freckled face, broad smile, sharp wit and deep spirituality, John accumulated a host of friends who cherished his company. He devoted most of his energies to music and the arts, teaching himself to play the guitar and to sing with local choral groups while acquiring an encyclopedic knowledge of World Music which he shared with WERU listeners on Tuesdays from 11 to 2. He immersed himself in the study of mysticism, meditated regularly and learned to paint beautifully executed Christian icons. More recently, he became a knowledgeable film buff and avid sports fan. Over the past two decades he found the time and energy to contribute his talents and experience to a variety of Bangor area organizations that included PICA, the National Folk Festival, the EMMC Chaplaincy, a local MD support group, and others. He was a communicant at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. In addition to his parents, John is survived by two brothers, Edward “Ted” Babcock and his spouse, Cheryl York, of Milford, Mass., and James Babcock and his spouse, Beth, of Cape Elizabeth; three sisters, Ellen Babcock and her companion, Eric Theise, of San Francisco, Calif., Margaret Babcock and her spouse, Ric Tedford, of Madison, Wisc., and Ann Hanna and her spouse, Jim Hanna, of Portland; four nephews, Samuel Tedford, Henry Babcock, Benjamin Hanna and Elijah Babcock; five nieces, Emily Tedford, Katharine Hanna, Olivia Tedford, Madeleine Babcock, and Hannah Babcock. Together they formed a perpetual circle of love around their beloved John. Visiting hours will be held 6-8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7, at Foley Funeral Service, 299 Union St., Bangor. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 754 Ohio St., Bangor. Friends may make donations in John’s memory to WERU-FM, P.O. Box 170, East Orland, ME 04431.
JOHN HARPER BABCOCK
