John Clarence Ireland

WAYNE – John Clarence Ireland, 81, passed away on June 4, 2024 at the Maine Veterans Home in Augusta related to complications of Alzheimer’s Disease. His last moments were peaceful and surrounded by his family.

He was born on April 30, 1943, in Dover-Foxcroft, the son of Stanley J. Ireland and Marjorie Buzzell Ireland. John graduated from Foxcroft Academy in 1961, the University of Maine in Orono in 1966 with a Bachelor of Mathematics, and the University of Vermont in 1973 with a master’s degree in Statistics. He was an active brother of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity and the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army in January, 1966.

John married his wife, Carolanne “Muffy” Place Ireland in March, 1968. The couple spent 21 diligent and faithful years as an active-duty Army family while John served as an Army Intelligence officer. After basic training, John’s career included tours in Texas, Virginia, Massachusetts and Germany. He was deployed to Vietnam from 1967-1968 and to South Korea from 1979-1980. After John retired from the Army in 1987 as a lieutenant colonel, the family settled in Wayne in their final military move. John’s post-military career focused on school finance with business management positions in Turner, Oakland and Kents Hill School in Readfield, involving multiple school renovations and the construction of the Alfond Athletic Center.

John was an active member of the Wayne community, serving regularly with the Wayne Community Church and the Androscoggin Yacht Club. He was an avid sailor, an optimistic fisherman, a persistent golfer, and became a much-beloved youth soccer coach with Wayne Youth Soccer. He will be fondly remembered for his sense of humor, his counsel and his steadfast love for his family.

John is survived by his wife, Carolanne; son, Christopher and his wife Vickie, and their daughters Meghan and Hannah; son, Jeffrey and his wife Traci, children Connor and Laura; and great-grandchildren Grant and Marley-Mae.

The family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to the staff and fellow veterans at the Maine Veterans Home in Augusta for the exceptional quality of their skills and caring attention.

A celebration of John’s life will be held at the Wayne Community Church on Saturday, June 29 at 10:30 a.m. A private graveside service with full military honors will be held at a separate time.

Arrangements are in the care of the Roberts Funeral Home, 62 Bowdoin St., Winthrop where condolences and memories may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the funeral home website by visiting http://www.khrfuneralhomes.com.

In lieu of flowers,

the family requests that donations be made to the

Maine Veterans Homes at https://mainevets.charityproud.org/Donate

in memory of John Ireland.