John A. Farrugia, Sr

SOUTH PORTLAND - John A. Farrugia Sr., 79, of South Portland, died on Wednesday, January 1, 2014, with his family by his side, at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House. John was born in Montreal, Canada on December 24, 1934, the youngest son of the late Vincent and Mary (Bonnici) Farrugia. He attended Montreal schools. In 1960, John moved to Maine with his family and soon became a United States Citizen. John's commitment and loyalty to the United States was evident through his hard work and dedication to his family and his career. Most of John's working career was spent as a salesman for R.H. Scales Co., Inc. in Portland, Maine. John retired from R.H. Scales in 2000. John enjoyed traveling with his wife and family and had fond memories of trips to Europe, Mexico and Aruba. A trip that he spoke of often and cherished dearly was one that he took with his brother, Arthur, to their parents' homeland of Malta. John was a man of many talents and many interests. Upon retirement, he spent many hours tinkering with HO trains and comparing the size relationship between model-sized railroads to their real-life counterparts. John also spent his free time working with stained glass where he created numerous beautiful pieces of art. John was an active member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary for over 15 years. He could often be found boating in Casco Bay and welcomed a good lobster dinner anytime he could. John is survived by his wife Elaine of South Portland; his first wife, Madeline (Quinlan) Farrugia of Portland; three children, John A. Farrugia, Jr. of Connecticut, Mary Siepert and her husband Michael of Cape Elizabeth, and Pauline Doane and her husband Joseph of Cape Elizabeth; a stepdaughter, Debra Butterfield and her husband James Law of Sandwich, New Hampshire; Jeff Butterfield and his wife Heather of Bar Harbor, Mark Butterfield and his wife Victoria of North Conway, New Hampshire, and Daryll Butterfield of Windham; six grandchildren, Carolyn, Joseph, Peter, Evan, Cooper and Alden, five step grandchildren, Ariel, Halston, Abigail, Matt, and Alison as well as a brother, Arthur Farrugia and his wife Bernice of Beaconfield, Canada. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, January 8, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. It will be held at Conroy-Tully Crawford South Portland Chapel, 1024 Broadway, South Portland. Burial will take place in the spring. In lieu of flowers, the Farrugia family suggests that memorial donations be made to Hospice of Southern Maine 180 US Route 1 Scarborough, Maine 04074, donate@hospiceofsouthernmaine.orgor the Animal Refuge League P.O. Box 336 Westbrook, Maine 04092 http://www.arlgp.org.Online condolences may be expressed below.