WINSLOW – John Datsis passed away in peaceful sleep at Lakewood nursing home on June 26, 2024, where he had resided for the past 1 1/2 years.
John will be remembered as a loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather. John was born in Waterville on April 17, 1934, one of five children of Steve and Helena (Gunning) Datsis. John attended local schools and was active in sports. He was on the Waterville varsity basketball and golf teams and a proud member of the golf state championship team his senior year. John graduated from Waterville High school in 1952. He enlisted in the Coast Guard September 1952. He was stationed at Cocoas Island off the coast of Guam as a radio operator during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged from the service in September 1956. John was employed in the family business, Datsis Hot Dog Place, until its closure in 1968. He then was employed as a mail carrier for the Waterville Post Office until his retirement in 1996.
John married the love of his life, Gloria Datsis, on June 28, 1958. It was fortuitous that Gloria decided to go to Datsis Hot Dog Place one day for lunch, and the next day their courtship began. The rest is history. John and Gloria were very blessed to enjoy 65 years of marriage. John had many interests and hobbies. John enjoyed fishing off the coast of York, Maine for striped bass with his son Kurt and fishing on Moosehead Lake with his son Todd. He was an avid gardener. John would stay out in his gardens all day unless Gloria persuaded him to come back into the house to eat a meal. John was the most enthusiastic fan at his granddaughter Devon’s field hockey games and at his granddaughter Vanessa’s softball games. John appreciated spending time with his grandson, Ethan, and was grateful that Ethan experienced such joy in the great outdoors. After his grandson, Sam, went into the military (Air Force), John began to reminisce about their shared military experience. Sam followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and was also stationed in Guam. The two of them shared many stories about their common experiences in Guam. We learned that our father and grandfather was stationed on a small remote island, Cocoas Island, and was using top secret tracking technology to identify enemy war planes during the Korean war. John gave Sam many words of advice about all of the places he wanted him to visit in Guam that he had previously been to. John was also an avid deer hunter; an activity he shared with his son Kurt and son-in-law Fred. John was the happiest when he was just spending quiet time with his wife or traveling with her to their favorite destination, my brother Todd’s camp on Moosehead Lake. John was predeceased by his parents; brother James Datsis, sister Ethel (Datsis) Veilleux, brother Pavlo Datsis, and sister Sunny (Datsis) Pomerleau. John is survived by his beloved wife Gloria; daughter Lisa Datsis and her husband Frederick Currie of Winslow, son Todd Datsis of St. Augustine Fla., son Kurt Datsis and his wife Ellen of York; and grandchildren, Samuel Currie, Devon Datsis, Vanessa Currie, and Ethan Datsis.
Visiting hours will take place July 2, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. at Veilleux Funeral Home, Elm Street, Waterville with the funeral service to take place at 10:00 a.m., with burial to follow at Howard Cemetery in Winslow.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in John’s memory to: Profound Autism Alliance at profoundautism.org
