John Paul Spain

Celebration of Life on November 20, 2022, 4-6 pm, Noroton Yacht Club, Darien CT

Epitomized by his handsome smile, twinkle in his eye, and a bandana or two around his neck, John Paul Spain has left a forever impression with everyone he interacted with from his closest friends of years or a new encounter. In his presence, one always felt the focus of his attention in the moment and he had a knack for sincerely fostering a feeling that one was special. A kind and most generous man----always caring to help with tackling problems, which was a forte along with his constant sense of humor.

Spanning four generations, John P Spain was a descendent of Cornelius Spain and there is a fascinating family history reaching back to 1739. The family started and still lives in Liscarode, Neagh, County Tipperary, Ireland. William Spain (1789) was next in line followed by his son Rody (1828-1903), who fathered, Darius (1861-1930) with Margaret Ryan. At the age of 18, Darius arrived in America by steamship and he worked on the Railroad in New York State for 40 years. Living in Mahopac as of 1864, Darius was influential in local social and political areas and in economic leadership of Putnam County. The Father of John Paul Spain, William Henry, was born to Darius and Margaret in 1881. He started the Mahopac Bank and The Spain Insurance Agency fostering the Spain Family prominence in Mahopac and Putnam County. IN 1929, John PAUL Spain was born to William Henry and Mabel Nichols, a teacher from Plattsburgh, NY; he had two siblings William D and Laura. Interestingly, the Spain family started their own private Cloughprias Cemetery and built the St Ruadin’s Church in Kilruane Parish near Liscarode. It is not surprising that there are repetitive Spain names on the headstones------- Michael, William, John and Peter. The remaining Spain family living in Tipperary, Ireland are farmers; Michael Kennedy has a dairy farm.

John was raised on Lake Mahopac, which was the inspiration for his life on the water that started with a little Skiff. He started his sailing and racing career with a Sunfish sailboat and in early 1940s, he and his closest friend and neighbor, Patrick Flynn, shared an 18 foot sailboat, called Jabby II. This was the beginning of his passion for sailing spanning 8 decades.

John attended school in Mahopac, was an altar-boy and was on the Mahopac Varsity basketball team. He graduated from Fordham University in 1951. During his sophomore year in 1947, he and Pat Flynn, son of Edward J Flynn, long time head of the Democratic National Committee and a force in Truman’s campaigns, traveled to the Oval Office at the White House to meet President Truman. This experience embodied the American dream to John and he became politically active in his local Putnam County community including his appointment to a special committee organized by Governor Hugh Carey in the 1970s to address the energy crisis. He adopted democratic ideals and was always forward-thinking and problem solving.

Following Fordham, he completed his military service for 2 years in the US Airforce stationed at the Sampson Airbase in upstate NY; he received an honorable discharge as a First Lieutenant in November 1960. Subsequently, he worked with his father learning the coal, kerosene, and energy business while expanding his political realm in Putnam County New York politics. John actively supported Democratic Campaigns throughout New York state including Robert F Kennedy’s US Senate campaign, which he worked on with his life-long friend, Joe Cioccolanti (97 years old) of Putnam County. Joe and John engaged both in sports and real estate business together and Joe remained friends and business partners through-out the years.

John founded Spain Oil Corporation in Mahopac, which was first a home-heating service company that he sold and moved on to purchasing gas station real estate, selling gas to the lessees and other gas stations. The business motto was “pressure makes progress”. His successful real estate and fuel service business, including 50 gas stations, reigned for four decades throughout the tristate area until the late 1990s, when the Spain Oil conglomerate was purchased by Warren Enterprises. While in the gas business, he made many contacts in industry and the government and became a member of the Empire State Petroleum Association, the Denver Petroleum Club, and the National Association of Texaco Wholesalers. He purchased landmark buildings in CT, which were renovated into residential apartments. Charles Goldberg, a retired lawyer and former judge in Denver, states: "Forty years ago, my life was blessed when John Spain and his cherished friend, Carl Kuehner, John’s business partner for nearly half a century, asked me to provide legal counsel in a real estate purchase they were contemplating in suburban Denver. From this time, the seeds of a 40- year lasting friendship blossomed among John, Carl and me.”

While his business ventures expanded, John held several positions of stature and public service for Putnam County and New York State. He served as the chairman of the Putnam County Mental Health Board and the director of Putnam Community Hospital. John was a board member of the Oil Heat Institute of Westchester, a trustee and chairman of the Examining Committee of the Putnam County Savings Bank, the chairman of the Putnam County Planning Board, and appointed by New York Governor Hugh L. Carey to the New York State Economic Development Board to strengthen and expand sustainable development in New York State and the county. President Jimmy Carter appointed John to the National Hospital Cost Containment Committee in 1977. Following this long stretch of business expansion and public service, John moved to Darien, Connecticut in the 1970s.

With an interest in philanthropy, John donated a gas station site as a public park near where the Spain legacy in Putnam County began in Carmel, New York. The donation was to The Preserved Putnam County Foundation for the people of Putnam County to create the Spain Cornerstone Park in memory his sister, Laura Brumby. This Cornerstone Park project headed by John and facilitated by George Carroll Whipple III, a Putnam County historian, attorney, and a television announcer for NY one. John was George’s “surrogate” father for over 50 years. The Park site, opened in 2004, was developed for overseeing the environmental cleanup, landscaping, and to renovate the existing house into a spacious state of the art meeting hall for the public. The park and conference center are used daily by the residents of Putnam County and included, is a 911 memorial honoring eight Putnam County residents, killed in the attack in 9-11-2001. John also supported the arts by providing Patron level gifts to Lincoln Center, The New York City Ballet, The Metropolitan Museum and The Museum of Natural History. John was also a patron of The Close Encounters with Music series in the Berkshires, directed by Yehuda Hanani, an internationally acclaimed cellist and professor of Music.

John was married to Suzanne Edgar in 1955 and together they had six children, Susie, Christopher, Laura, Mary, Elizabeth and Matthew. John and Sue loved nature and raised their children in the bucolic setting of Lake Mahopac, NY. Through the years the family was always outdoors; sailing, skating, skiing, horseback riding and hiking were among the many daily activities the family shared together. John and Sue further instilled their mutual passion for the outdoors through family vacations in the Adirondacks, sailing on the Eastern seaboard, and skiing on the slopes of Vermont. In 1975, John’s family moved with Sue from Mahopac to Sun Valley, Idaho while John remained on the East Coast, setting up residence in Manhattan and after some time, Darien, Connecticut as well. He was a devoted father and insisted, guided, and supported the career development of his children. Laura and Elizabeth gained PhD’s in the mental health field and Mary is a nutritional consultant/addiction specialist. Chris (and Caroline) built a successful career in real estate while Matt is in the telecommunications business. Susie started a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, Angeles at Risk, to raise awareness and to support families with addiction and mental health issues. John leaves behind eight grandchildren, Dakin Spain (and Cubbie), Ferris Spain, Jude Rossotto, Kaley Leshem, Nathaniel Leshem, Wyatt Spain, Liza Spain and Adelaide Spain, and four great grandchildren, Spain Marlin, Layla West Spain, Naomi Spain, and Etta Rose Crowle. John was a “favorite uncle” to his brother Bill and Curtis Spain’s children. Sharon Rodda and her son, Douglas and daughter, Alexandra, were often in John’s thoughts and company and he spent many times with his nephew, Michael Spain including skiing with him in Jackson Hole, WY.

John was a passionate sailor and gained great acclaim with the sailing sport by racing his Kirby custom one-design sloop. He began his sailing expertise on Lake Mahopac and moved to larger boats through chartering racing boats and engaging in competition of several racing events on the East coast. John met the world famous Canadian naval architect, Bruce Kirby, who was renowned for designing the World class racing boat, the Laser, the Canadian 12 meter and the Pixel and others. Together, Runaway, a Persian red 41 yacht, built by Eric Goetz, was the focus of competitive racing for many years. Runaway was a unique fractional rig sloop design, which was a scaled-up version of the Laser but, with one of the first open transom designs. Although a superb racing boat, she was also a commodious cruising boat that he and his wife, Leslie I Gold, PhD, sailed alone together, as she cooked lavish meals in the tiny galley! Leslie is a tenured Associate Professor at NYU School of Medicine where she directs a cancer research and tissue regeneration Lab. Runaway won many events on the East coast and competed in the SORC in South Florida. In 1981, John and Bruce with a crew of 9 raced Runaway in the Admirals Cup in Cowes, UK, as Canada’s 1981 entry into this international competition. The yacht consistently won sail racing awards on Long Island Sound in the American Yacht and Yacht Club the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club Fall Series. Runaway appeared on the front cover of Sail journal and an article in Yachting stated that “John/Runaway put yachting in a class by itself”. John’s close friend, Scott Macleod, of famed sail racing stature, spear-headed the racing and managed the helm of Runaway in many competitive races. To sail on such a high-tech and fast racing boat was the dream for local young sailors. Runaway has won the honor of being placed on the wall in the Model Room of the New York Yacht Club and at Noroton Yacht Club as well. John enjoyed many years of membership to the New York, American, and Noroton Yacht Clubs. The good ship Runaway was donated to charity to be used for educating young sailors to race.

Leslie and John were married in Zermatt in April 24, 1991after a 75-mile rondine ski touring venture on the historical and acclaimed Haute Route (High Level Route), which scaled the Alps commencing in Mont Blanc and terminating in Zermatt; they slept in huts on steep precipices along the route. A difficult athletic endeavor, guided by Peter Whitaker, who was the first American to summit Mount Everest, armed them with the zeal to continue on trips with Peter to climb Mt Kilamanjaro, Mt Rainier, Mt Hood, and again, ski touring La Marmalata in the Dolomites. Leslie and John summited the Grand Teton in Jackson Hole, WY with Exum climbing guides (13 pitches of 75 feet each). John’s athletic prowess extends to numerous sports. He was an elegant expert skier; John and Leslie skied by helicopter in many areas of the Canadian Rockies, Mount Hood, New Zealand, and throughout ski areas in the US and Europe. John saw the world by biking and hiking with Leslie----- adventure travel was always the sole mode of travel and vacation. John also enjoyed fishing and ice climbing with his friend and Exum guide, George Gardiner.

The adventurous being of John Spain is reflected by the twinkle in his eye. He enjoyed life to the fullest. In tattered clothing, he would rather give to someone else than clothe himself. He was a force to remember and gift to us all. Quoting here John’s friend of many years: “John’s favorite sailing trip was to Block Island where his last remains will be scattered. Like any seasoned skipper, sailing was in many ways a metaphor for John’s life. Like any good Captain, John was even-keeled; perceptive; a mentor and true friend who was well known, loved, and widely respected in the business and yachting world. John possessed a wry sense of humor, was contemplative, wary of storm clouds and always enjoyed calmness in the waters of his life; when he spoke, John’s words were laced with wisdom; John was kind, patient, and loyal to and generous beyond measure to his family, friends and community. John’s passing has left a massive hole in all the hearts who love him."

Gifts in John’s memory would be kindly appreciated by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).