MELROSE — Jon Dale Scarborough, 87, of Melrose passed away peacefully on May 29, 2022. He had been in failing health in recent months and had been residing in Brooksby Village in Peabody.
Jon was the youngest of two children born to the late Elfrieda and John A. Scarborough on April 4, 1935 in Salem, Mass. Jon’s Father worked as a meat packer, with the Armor Meat Company. Due to his profession, the family resided in Connecticut for the first few years after Jon’s birth. He had a vivid memory of the 1938 Hurricane and the floods that followed while residing in Connecticut.
The family moved to Melrose prior to Jon entering first grade in 1941 at the Lincoln School. He graduated from Melrose High School in 1953. Jon was a talented artist and graphic designer, spending hours and sometimes days in the attic producing his work. Some of his work is featured in the Melrose High yearbook “The Log.” He enrolled in The School of Practical Art in Boston where he studied under MacIver Reddie, graduating in 1956 with a degree in Advertising Design. It was during this time he met his future wife Claire while working at Hopkins Ice Cream in Melrose.
He married Claire Meuse on April 19, 1958, in Saint Joseph’s Church in Wakefield. The couple initially lived in Malden; moving to Medford prior to the birth of their first child Kori. The family moved to Melrose in 1967 where Claire bore two more children, Jodi in 1967 and Erika in 1970. Jon was also a full member of the Melrose Masonic Temple.
When Jon’s youngest daughter Erika was born with the birth defect Spina Bifida, he along with his wife Claire helped form the Massachusetts Spina Bifida Association (MSBA) to assist other families with support, medical and equipment needs, at a time when little was known about this birth defect.
Jon worked at Polaroid where he met Ansel Adams. On nights and weekends Jon and his friend Dick Guarini ran a photography business doing studio portraits and family events – but they would also listen to the scanners for important news events which took them to the race riot in Boston in June of 1967. He also worked at Metcalf & Eddy where one of his duties was to check the water levels of the wood pilings under Trinity Church in Copley Square. Jon then started his own business with Purcell Pumps in Hingham. Through the years he dabbled in city and state politics, serving as a member of the state Republican Committee and on many election campaigns as the graphics designer and advertising manager. This eventually led him to the State House, where he worked as the Executive Assistant to Representative Bill Robinson, the Minority Whip in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He finished out his State Government service as the Executive Assistant to Nils Nordberg, the Commissioner of the Department of Education and Training and held that position until his retirement in 2000.
While in retirement Jon enjoyed gardening, antiquing, and corresponding with friends via visits and through the internet. Jon also found time to pursue another passion, estate liquidation in partnership with his friend and local attorney Jim McAvoy. He loved the annual summer vacation with both his immediate and extended family in Moody Beach, Maine. He enjoyed reading, walking the beach, listening to the sound of the ocean, but most importantly time well spent with his family, especially the family lobster dinners. In 2000 and 2002 he became the proud Grandfather to Andrew and Jackson Texeira.
Jon was the beloved husband of sixty years to Claire Lucille (Meuse) Scarborough, loving father of Kori S. Mendonsa and her husband Anthony of Melrose, Jodi L Texeira and her husband Stephen of Pelham, N.H. and Erika J. Scarborough of Lansdowne, Pa. Devoted son of John and Elfrieda (Henry) Scarborough and brother Dana Lee Scarborough who predeceased him. Proud grandfather of Andrew and Jackson Texeira both of Pelham NH. Jon will also be deeply missed by close friends Anita Brewer-Siljeholm and her daughter Marian.
The family would like to thank and acknowledge the care team and staff of Brooksby Village in the Maple Grove Neighborhood, and the hospice care team at Care Dimensions of Danvers. Their care and attention given to Jon made for an enjoyable and comfortable experience during his time at Brooksby Village.
Visitation was held at the Gately Funeral Home, 79 West Foster St., Melrose on Thursday, June 2, 2022 from 4 – 7 p.m., followed by a funeral service at the funeral home on Friday, June 3, 2022 at 10 a.m. Burial at Wyoming Cemetery in Melrose. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend.
In lieu of flowers donations in Jon’s memory can be sent to Care Dimensions at 75 Sylvan Street Suite B102 Danvers MA 01923 or giving.caredimensions.org or Brooksby Village Staff Appreciation Fund 200 Brooksby Village Drive Peabody MA 01960. To send a message of condolence please visit www.gatelyfh.com.
