John Drew Stowell

WELD – John D. Stowell was born Dec. 30, 1938, in the Rumford hospital. On the very same day and in the same place, his cousin Newton Stowell roared into this world. John’s grandmother, Ellen Drew Hinman, also turned 50 years old on the same day.

His parents, Rand Newman Stowell (Dartmouth ’35) and Phoebe (Hinman) Stowell raised their family on lower Maine Street in Dixfield. The home had been in the family for 120 years and fronted a mill long associated with the family. John (Dartmouth ’61) had two younger siblings, Rand (Dartmouth ’64) and Richard (Dartmouth ’68).

Before entering college, John attended Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, N.H. He was Senior Class president in 1957. His sons Tyler ‘84 and Kimo “Jim” ’89, Lila ‘97 and niece, Heidi Stowell ’84, all attended KUA.

In 1959 Dartmouth alumni coverage noted “John Stowell rated highly in the alpine events” placing him on the team’s ski squad. He earned the sobriquet “Power John” for his exploits on the ski slope where he preferred to ski without socks. He often said that he had a better feel for the skis and their contact with the terrain. According to a life-long friend, Joe Bujold, he once showed up the morning of the race followed closely behind by a lovely young lady hauling his skis and boots up the hill. One weekend in Hanover he decided to bike home over the White Mountains, solo, in one day, to Dixfield to visit his parents. He was a member of Theta Delta Chi and the Dragon Senior Society at Dartmouth.

After college, John was working for a large roofing company in Hawaii while serving in the Marine Corp Reserves when he married Sybil Kehaulani Kea in Honolulu, Aug. 16, 1964. Sons from this marriage are Tyler and Kimo (James).

Upon the death of Rand Stowell Sr., John joined his brothers Rand, Dick, and cousin, Newt Stowell to run Timberlands, the family’s forest-products company. They expanded it into United Timber Corporation (UTC). The 1970s-1990s were the growth years for the company. It became one of the large ownerships that were the foundation of Maine’s forest-products industry.

John served as Vice-President and General Manager of Timberlands/United Timber Company from 1972 until 1999. He was a director of the Maine Forest Products Council, the Western Mountains Alliance, and a member of several other forest-related entities. Forestry was his passion. To John, the most important thing was the relationships he formed with those who labored around him. His work ethic was legendary in the Maine woods of the last century.

In 1972, John married Linda Jekanowski in Northampton, Mass. Their children are Lila and Preston Stowell. The couple was a fixture in Farmington for decades until moving to Saratoga Springs, N.Y. in 2001. John was passionate about horse racing and was drawn by the excitement surrounding the track at Saratoga. He was proud to have sponsored a young boy Eleauterio Martinez from Mexico and guided him through the process of becoming a U.S. citizen.

A constant joy was being part of a legacy of Patriot season ticket holders. His Uncle Crawford Hinman was an original shareholder of the Boston Patriots when they played on the field at Harvard. John took ownership of the four seats when the team became the New England Patriots.

It is fitting that John died in Weld, on land in a pine forest that he once owned and carefully managed, surrounded by devoted family and friends. Just steps away lies the 17-acre beachfront that the Stowell family donated to Mt. Blue State Park in 1966. There is comfort in knowing that John will be laid to rest beside his brothers in Mt. View Cemetery, on land also gifted by United Timber Corporation.

John is survived by Tyler Stowell and his children Sophie, Cooper and Margot; Kimo (James) Stowell; and by his amazing caretakers Lila Stowell and Preston Stowell; first cousins Jane Mason, Beth Stowell and Mary Waitt; the next generation of nieces and nephews, Heidi Stowell Nichols and Lisa Stowell Brent, children of Newt Stowell; Barrett and Whitney from the Rand Stowell side; Nora and Porter, children of Richard Stowell; a large contingent of the great-nieces and nephews; and a sizable number of Hinman relatives; sisters-in-law, Nancy and Susan Stowell; Eleauterio Martinez.

A celebration of life will be held on June 6, 2026.