John Ludlow Ogden died peacefully with family and friends in attendance on Jan. 7, 2017, at his home in East Boothbay.

John was a gifted artist, a humanist, and a true renaissance man. He was known for his brilliant intellect, charity, and tireless work ethic. John, a deeply caring and sensitive person, was famous for showing his affection through long hours in the kitchen cooking comfort food for his friends and loved ones.

John was born Dec. 24, 1949 in the back of a Buick Special to Clement Moore Ogden Sr. and Norma Greer Ogden. He was raised in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. John attended St. Bernard’s School in New York City and Wilbraham Academy in Massachusetts. He received a BFA from Boston University in 1972, an associate’s degree in architecture from the University of Maine in Augusta, and a master’s of architecture from the Boston Architectural College in 2003, where he met his mentor, Steve Ruszkai, who became his devoted friend.

In 1971, he married Margo Vaughan. They settled in Hallowell, where they raised their family in a beautiful 19th century cape that John restored. After a divorce, he married Susan Lord in 1997 and relocated to East Boothbay.

John worked as a self-employed artist until 1981. He then worked as a facilities engineer at Digital Equipment Corp. and as a designer/draftsman for Bernhard & Priestley Architecture and the Knickerbocker Group. He served as former president of the Hallowell Improvement Association; attended and worked at Haystack School of Crafts; partly founded the Praxis Craft Cooperative in Freeport; and served as a member of the board at the Maine State Shakespearean Repertory Theatre in Monmouth. He proudly hung the first show at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and was a direct descendant of Clement Clarke Moore, author of the beloved poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas (Twas the Night Before Christmas).” He was a member of the Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor. An avid mariner, he relished sailing the Maine coast and building a boat with his best friend James McQuaide.

John leaves behind his son, Blake Ogden of Brooklyn, New York; son, Nicholas Ashley Ogden and his wife Julie of Boston, Massachusetts; daughter, Zoey Spahn and her husband Jonathan of Cranston, Rhode Island; stepdaughter, Josieda Lord of Santa Rosa, California; brother, David Ogden and wife Judy of Fernandina Beach, Florida; Clement Ogden and his wife Angel of San Francisco, California; four grandchildren; and a loving extended family.

A memorial service will be held on July 16, 2017 at 2 p.m. at the Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor.

John received excellent care from many members of our community in the last few years of his life, and his family is truly grateful for their help and support.