John Joseph Vierra Sr.

A resident of Land O'Lakes, FL and Gray, Maine, John was born in South Weymouth, MA, on April 21,1947, the first child of Ellen Barrett Vierra and Joseph A. Vierra. His mother moved John and his sister, Mary Ellen, back to her family neighborhood in Maine, Munjoy Hill, when they were toddlers and he was a proud "Munjoy Hill Boy" until the end, attending the superb reunions organized by his longtime friend, Thomas "Vito" Caiazzo, each fall.

John attended Cathedral Grammar school and made enduring friendships with John Bowman and Denny O'Malley. He was an altar server, often with John Bowman, as the Church was a central influence in his family. His uncle, Rt. Rev. Msgr. John Barrett, for whom he was named, along with Rev. Patrick Barrett and his aunt, Sister Mary Mark Barrett, were all strong influences on his life, as were his other 4 aunts and uncles, Marty, Catherine, Mark and Ann; his mother, Ellen, under the loving guidance of his maternal grandparents, Patrick and Mary Barrett, who emigrated from Ireland and eventually settled on Munjoy Hill. John was a 1965 graduate of Cheverus High School and went on to take courses at USM for Real Estate sales. He was very accomplished, earning several achievement awards for sales in the various real estate companies that he was associated with in the greater Portland area. He was a member of the Elks Lodge, #188, continuing community service efforts started at Cheverus. His first trips to Florida were due to sales achievements and a customer request to find great real estate deals in a warmer climate. He developed a dedicated core of customers for residential and multiple family home listings, until the early 1980's, when the economy became too restrictive to earn a decent living for his young family. John turned his energies toward selling insurance on the road for Combined Insurance and switched to local service for Prudential, serving many neighbors from the Hill. He was active in the local union for fellow insurance sales staff and continued this work until medical issues required a change in work settings.

An interest in stamp collecting when he was about 8, started by his maternal aunt, Ann Barrett, led to a lifelong career in astute geography knowledge, history, baseball cards and ultimately, antique postcards, thanks to his friend, Joe Lepage. He was a member of postcard collecting clubs in Maine and Massachusetts (serving as President and Show Chairman, at various times), New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida. He had established booths in antique flea markets and shops in Freeport (Red Wheel on Rt.1), Rainbow Mall, Scarborough Downs, Wells Antique Mart, Brimfield, Arundel Antiques and later, set up at Webster Flea Market in Florida. His love of travel meshed perfectly with his geography knowledge and he found his life's work to be extremely satisfying until his illnesses overcame him.

When not buying and selling postcards, he totally enjoyed the family camp in Raymond, which his son and granddaughters later developed into their family home. Occasional trips to Las Vegas and Foxwoods Casino with his friend, Mark Douglas, were enjoyable times. After quitting smoking 40 years ago, he took up jogging (especially with family dogs, Max and Bart), swimming and always enjoyed walking, especially around Baxter Blvd. When Maine winters became too prohibitive to attend postcard shows, before internet access, he ventured to Florida, gradually increasing his time there. He developed, with his wife, Patti, an offshoot to the antique postcards, creating magnets and matted prints from those postcards, sharing local history and topical images world-wide. John enjoyed a fried clam dinner, a burger cooked medium rare, a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs and a Manhattan created from the Valle's Restaurant bartender recipe that we obtained just before it closed.

John is survived by his wife of 35 years, Patricia (St. Peter) Vierra; his son, John, Jr., of Raymond; daughter, Patrice, of Savannah, GA; two granddaughters, Maegan Vierra of Raymond and Lauren Stachowiak and husband, Alec, of South Paris, Maine, numerous cousins and treasured friends in both Florida and Maine.

He was predeceased by his sister, Mary Ellen Vierra, in 2006 and his mother, Ellen, in 2011, as well as his maternal grandparents, aunts and uncles.

John's family extends their gratitude to the ICU staff at Advent Health, Dade City, FL and to Gulfside Hospice Services.

Family and friends are invited to attend a time of visitation on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 11, 2024, from 3-5 p.m., at Jones, Rich and Barnes Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St., Portland. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Dec. 12, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 307 Cumberland Ave., Portland. Burial will follow that service at Calvary Cemetery, 1461 Broadway, South Portland, Maine. A Celebration of Life for Florida friends is being planned for January 2025.

Those wishing to donate in John's memory are welcome to consider:

American Kidney Fund, Inc.

11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300

Rockville, MD 20852

Alzheimer's Association

P.O. Box 96011

Washington, DC 20090-6001

American Cancer Society

P.O. Box 6704

Hagerstown, MD 21741

or to a charity of your choice.

Reach out to an old friend.