GARDINER – We are heartbroken to announce the death of our beloved son, brother, nephew, and friend, John Sawyer. John was just 36 years old, and while his life was short, a majority of it was very good. John was a fun-loving, curious, caring, and intelligent person. He was highly sensitive, had a phenomenal sense of humor, and always stood up for people and animals who needed it. He loved his friends and family and showed extreme loyalty and generosity to them.

John was born in Bangor and was raised with his mother, Amy Rees, and stepfather, Robert Lash, in Maine. He went to grade school in Blue Hill and Trenton, Maine, and middle school and high school in Windham. While in Windham, John sang tenor in the Windham Chamber Singers, and he had a truly gorgeous voice. He graduated from Gardiner High School in 2007 and then lived most of his adult life in Gardiner.

As a child, John was highly energetic and had trouble focusing on school. He was inquisitive and smart, and always eager to learn new things that were hands-on. He shared his love of cooking with his mother and tinkering and building things with his stepfather. He enjoyed boating and snowmobiling with his father, as well as exploring the woods and the coastline with his sister. When he was 12, his brother Matt was born; John was always so caring and playful with young children and was a natural at being an older brother.

John found peace in Maine’s outdoors and waterways. He loved boating, swimming, and fishing, and enjoyed numerous hikes in Acadia National Park with his friends. John was also an XBox aficionado and was a coveted partner when playing Halo or PubG. During the pandemic, John lived in Vermont for over a year with his sister Michelle to help care for her children while she was working from home. During that time, he formed a very close bond with his two nephews, Desmond and Hollis, who absolutely adored him as he adored them. He was a fun-loving uncle who’s imagination kept pace with the young boys, but who was also a parental figure when needed.

John worked at a number of jobs in the Southern and Central Maine area including at Crockett Furniture, FX Marcott furniture, the Water Street Cafe, the Liberal Cup, and most recently in the emergency department at Maine Medical Center in Augusta where he received several accolades for his comforting and caring manner towards patients in need.

Anyone who knew John as an adult also knew his dog, Daphne. He adopted her as a puppy, and she was his constant companion for 13 years. He taught her many things including how to launch herself off the end of a dock and into the water in pursuit of a beloved tennis ball. Daphne was extremely well-trained and was welcome, with John, in many of Gardiner’s downtown businesses.

After his dog’s death last year, John’s struggles with depression and alcohol intensified to the point that he could no longer work. His family and friends tried desperately to help him, but he could not seem to love himself enough to accept that help.

John is survived by his mother, Amy Rees and stepfather, Robert Lash of Enosburg, Vt., his father Thomas Sawyer and his wife Angel of Corinth; his sister Michelle Sawyer, her husband Silas Pollitt, nephews Desmond and Hollis, and niece Isla of Fairfax, Vt.; his brother Matthew Sawyer and his wife Kayla of Corinth; his aunt Janet Sawyer and her husband Dwain Allen of Dover-Foxcroft, and his aunt Jenny Rees and her husband William Tefft of Hancock; as well as many other extended family members. John also leaves behind a wonderful group of people who were his good friends for whom he cared very, very much, and they for him.

A celebration of John’s life will be planned for this summer in Downeast Maine.

Arrangements are entrusted with Staples Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 53 Brunswick Ave., Gardiner, Maine. Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the Staples Funeral Home website, http://www.staplesfuneralhome.com

For those who would like to do something to remember John, please honor his love of animals and make a donation in his name to the:

Kennebec Valley Humane Society in Augusta at https://pethavenlane.org/memorial-gifts/