SOUTHPORT — John Alden Curtis, 74, of Southport died peacefully at home on June 14, 2011.

He was born on May 11, 1937 in Boston, Mass. to John Alden Curtis, Sr. and Evelyn Rolfe Curtis. While growing up in Maine and Massachusetts, John and his family lived for a time with his grandparents H.C. (Cliff) Rolfe and Grace Park Rolfe of Rumford, and George A. Curtis and Mary (May) Simmons Curtis of Pittsfield, Mass. After high school, he served in the U.S. Army in Freiberg, Germany from 1956 to 1958 and in the Reserves until 1962. John thoroughly enjoyed developing imaginative improvements to common problems. During his tour of duty in Germany, John drove a Jeep for a Major. Winter maneuvers were bone chilling and leftover WWII rations eaten cold were unappealing. John rigged up a device that used heat from the exhaust manifold to warm the rations making them a bit more palatable.

He earned a bachelor’s of Science degree and a master’s of Business Administration degree from the University of New Hampshire. In 1963, he began his 25-year career in business administration in secondary and collegiate institutions, which included Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of New Hampshire, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, New Hampton School, Foxcroft School, and Putney School.

In 1963, he married Karen Goodridge of Camden. Together they had three children, Jeffrey Alden Curtis, Daniel Rolfe Curtis and Jennifer Curtis. John was a very loving, giving and patient person and his family meant everything to him. To his grandchildren he was “grandpa fix-it.” One of his grandchildren bought an anemic squirt gun at the firemen’s auction that grandpa offered to work on over the winter. By springtime, the squirt gun was not only fixed, it was improved to the point that it shot water 30 feet.

John was always an active volunteer in both his personal and professional communities. He served as president of the Business Associates of the Independent School Association of Northern New England and was a member of the Financial Officers Group of Virginia. In addition, he served on several community committees and associations over the years including chairman of the Solid Waste Disposal Committee in Lee N.H., and the Newfound (NH) Area Nursing Association.

John loved music and singing. All his life, he sang in the choirs of the churches to which he belonged. Upon his retirement to Southport in 1987, John continued to be an active volunteer and community member. He was active in the Seaside Masonic Lodge and served on the Southport Cemetery Committee, and on the board of trustees of the Southport Methodist Church. John worked on the annual auction with his fellow Southport fire fighters, and his tuba was unmistakable in the alumnae community band concerts and parades.

In addition to his wife Karen of 47 years, John will be missed and his memory cherished by his three children, Jeffrey A.F. Curtis of Dunstable Mass., Daniel R. Curtis of Creedmoor, N.C. and Jennifer C. Heil of Westford, Mass.; four grandchildren; two brothers, James R. Curtis of Bridgton and Peter F. Curtis of Yarmouth; two cousins; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A funeral service was held on Friday, June 17 at the Southport Methodist Church. Interment was at Decker Cemetery in Southport.