John Elwell of Boothbay, Maine passed away after a long battle with kidney cancer. He was 63.

The son of Elizabeth Neaton and Marden Elwell, John was born in El Paso, Texas, where his father was in the Army. He grew up in Mechanicville, New York, a small upstate town on the Hudson River.

Enchanted by the west after attending Philmont, a New Mexico Boy Scout camp, John enrolled at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. He received a B.S. in microbiology and chemistry. His housemate at 507 North Agassiz Street, Andie Johnson, later became his wife of 37 years. It was there that his lifelong love for the outdoors heightened, as he enjoyed hiking and cross country skiing. John and Andie could be found exploring the area in John’s 1957 Chevy pickup truck.

Post graduation, John and Andie moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts and then on to Andover, Massachusetts, where John worked as a quality control chemist for DuPont. The couple married in 1984 and moved to Chatham, New Jersey, where John attended Fairleigh Dickinson University Dental School. He graduated in 1989 with a DMD and joined the practice of C. Clark Johnson, his father-in-law. He devotedly practiced with care, compassion, and integrity in Chatham for 30 years. Dedicated to continuing education, he earned Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry (FAGD), the highest award in his field. Committed to serving his community, Dr. Elwell mentored new dental residents as a member of the Attending Staff at Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey and volunteered tirelessly for the Interfaith Council, providing dentistry to those in need.

Joking that retirement was for quitters, when the Elwells moved to Maine in 2016, John continued to practice on a part-time basis with Aspen Dental. He reveled in his life in Maine, quickly acquiring the essential equipment: a truck, a tractor, a plow and an antique wooden Lyman for cruising the waters of the Boothbay region. Much of his time was spent enthusiastically volunteering as a land steward with the Boothbay Region Land Trust and the Woodchucks, an organization that supplies seasoned hardwood for vulnerable families.

John was a fix-it man and could tackle anything from engines to plumbing and electrical with his extensive collection of tools, which he was always happy to share. Always up for an adventure, he owned a Harley Davidson Electra Glide and toured New England with his biking friends, the Pacific Northwest with his daughter Mackie, and Death Valley with his daughter Jona. John and Andie loved to travel, boat, and ski. They visited Europe, Thailand, Central America, and much of the states, he captained family sailing charters in the British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas, and the family spent years on the slopes in Vermont.

John had a steadfast and quiet manner. He respected his patients and enjoyed time with his friends, and was happiest when the family gathered together.

John is survived by his wife, Andie Johnson Elwell; their daughter, Mackie Miley and her husband, James, and their daughter, Jona Elwell and her wife, Blaire.

Donations can be sent to the Boothbay Region Land Trust.

Hall Funeral Home and Tribute Center has care of the arrangements. To extend online condolences, please visit hallfuneralhomes.com