CUMBERLAND - John Warren Holt, 77 who loved his adopted home of Chebeague Island, died Tuesday in a Portland hospital.
Mr. Holt moved to the island full time about 12 years ago. Prior to that, he and his family had been spending summers on the island for more than 40 years.
"He loved the island," said a daughter, Ethelind "Lindy" Botto. "I guess it was the (idea) of 'Once you've slept on an island you'll never be the same,'" she said.
He was well-known on the island for the lobster bakes he did on the beach. Botto said her father did the lobster bakes for their family get-togethers as well as for other families.
Mr. Holt was a member of the Portland Club and the Great Chebeague Island Golf Club, where he enjoyed working on the golf course.
"His house looked right over the golf course and the tennis courts," his daughter said. In fact he often joked about the golf course being right in his yard, she said.
"He loved to collect golf balls - he'd go out beating in the bushes for lost golf balls," his daughter said. When his five grandsons would visit, "that was a highlight for the kids to go out and sell them," Botto said.
Mr. Holt took great pride and enjoyment helping fellow islanders.
He was born in Portland, a son of Erastus Eugene and Ethelind Stickney Holt, graduated from Portland High School in 1937, attended the former Portland Junior College and attended Boston University.
Mr. Holt worked for the South Portland shipyards during World War II before enlisting in the Army. After his discharge, he worked for C.W. Leonard & Co. as a stockbroker, eventually owning the company, which merged to become State Investment/Leonard & Co. before finally merging with Paine Webber Inc.
His wife, Josephine Leonard Holt, died in 1994.
Surviving are two daughters, Ann Holt Thaxter of New Gloucester and Ethelind Holt Botto of Freeport; and five grandsons.
A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday in the Meloon Chapel of Woodfords Congregational Church, 202 Woodford St., Portland. Arrangements are by Jones, Rich & Hutchins Funeral Home, Portland.
by Amy Welch(Copied from the Portland Press Herald, March 20, 1997
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