EASTPORT – John Raye Bishop, son of the late Raye Davis Bishop and Irma Elaine Cook Bishop Mullen, passed away Jan. 12, 2009, after a long, valiant battle with cancer. John grew up in Eastport and graduated from Shead Memorial High in 1960. He continued his education at the University of Maine, graduating with a degree in math and engineering. During college, he was a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves and brother in the fraternity Beta Theta Pi. After college, he started working for Pratt and Whitney, Connecticut, until he was recruited by IBM and moved to San Francisco. John was not a suit or tie kind of guy and opted to open his own fiberglass manufacturing business. He built sailboats and manufactured fiberglass products for the construction industry in northern California. During his stay in California, his entrepreneurial drive led him to build two homes at Lake Tahoe. He lived in California for 35 years until the call of the East Coast and his roots drew him to his birthplace in Down East Maine. He continued pursuing the fiberglass manufacturing and spent some time in the Philippines as a consultant. John always was a visionary; he built two homes in Maine and two homes at Lake Tahoe. He designed and built the new WaCo diner, which he owned with his wife Nancy, and two lobster style pleasure boats, as well as 14 sailboats in California. As an active member of the community, John was elected by the people of Eastport to the position of harbor master for three years. He served as chairman of the Harbor Committee and Port Authority board member. His greatest accomplishment and culmination of his lifelong dream was the construction of the 92-foot schooner, Halie Matthew. He built her during the time he was going through chemotherapy and radiation, and only took time off to have his treatments. He spent six-and-one-half years building his dream. She now resides in Key West, Fla., chartering to the Dry Tortugas. She is extraordinary. What a talent and what a visionary. His wife, Nancy; son, Jody; daughter, Brinn Romagnuolo and husband, Tom, survive John, as well as sisters, Patty Lane and husband, Teddy, and Barbara Blaise; grandsons, Noah and Evan Romagnuolo; many aunts, uncles, cousins, as well as nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his special brothers, Ken Gardiner, Karl Turner, Clyde Davenport, John Lewis, Dan Peabody; plus many dear and loyal fraternity brothers and friends. He was predeceased by his brother, Mike Healy. A service celebrating his life will be held during the first week in July. Interment will be at Hillside Cemetery and in Pasamaquoddy Bay.
JOHN RAYE BISHOP
