Springfield, N.H. —
He was born in Davenport, Iowa on Nov. 21, 1953, son of Jeannette (Beaulieu) and Dr. Almon G. McLain Jr., who was attending Palmer College of Chiropractic. The family settled in Lebanon in 1954, where John attended Sacred Heart School and then Lebanon High School. Active in academics and sports, John had a passion for alpine ski racing and ski jumping, and went on to win the 1971 NH state ski jumping title his senior year.
He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., where he pursued a pre-med curriculum and graduated in 1975 with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. At RPI John became a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. John then attended four years at National College of Chiropractic in Lombard, IL, where he was a keen student of anatomy, earned numerous scholarships and awards, and was very active in college activities and organizations.
Upon graduating from National College in 1984 with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree, John joined his father’s existing 30-year chiropractic business in Lebanon where they worked together for two years until his father’s death in 1987. After his father died, John continued serving the community as a skilled and caring chiropractor for another 23 years in his multi-doctor office, until he retired in 2010.
During his career John enjoyed working with his patients and he derived great satisfaction helping them regain their health through natural means, as well as collaborating with the rest of the medical community.
John, both in and out of his chiropractic office, was kind, generous, and caring, had a great sense of humor, and thoroughly enjoyed helping others.
He was a longstanding member of the American Chiropractic Association, the N.H. Chiropractic Association, and supported the profession he loved in a variety of ways.
John met his wife, Donna Louzier, in 1st grade and they started dating following high school. After going their separate ways for many years they reunited and were happily married in 2005. He loved word games, math puzzles, and cats. Just for fun he memorized the mathematical constant pi to 800 digits, which was almost a world record at the time.
John was an avid skier and loved to ski fast, and sported a few broken bones to prove it. He was also an avid golfer and loved playing golf with his best friends and his spunky, effervescent mother. Photography was another love of his, and he and Donna played with cameras and photo imagery and computers for many years.
John was easy to talk to. He had a very quick wit, a hilarious sense of humor, and he loved kidding and joking and laughing. He was always excited about science and open-minded about spirituality, where he met many kindred spirits along the way. John was always full of life and he had a wonderful spirit and beautiful soul. He shared his enthusiasm for life by volunteering in many ways in the Upper Valley. He often said that life was good and that he had no regrets.
John will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
John is survived by his wife, Donna (Louzier) McLain of Springfield, his mother, Jeannette (Beaulieu) McLain of Lebanon, brothers Gary McLain of West Lebanon, N.H., Bryan McLain and Beatrice McLain of Granby, Conn., Kevin McLain and Nancy McLain of Lebanon, Scott McLain of Glendale, Calif., numerous cousins and aunts in the Franklin/Tilton, N.H. area and the Lebanon area, as well as Donna’s extended family in the Lebanon area. He was predeceased by his father, Dr. Almon G. McLain Jr., D.C. in 1987.
Calling hours will be held on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Ricker’s Funeral Home (56 School Street, Lebanon, N.H.).
A private burial with only immediate family will be held on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017 at 11 a.m. (Valley Cemetery, Lebanon, N.H.).
Following the private burial, family and friends are invited to a Celebration of Life on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Upper Valley Senior Center, 10 Campbell St., Lebanon), where stories and memories will be shared in honor of John’s life.
In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory may be made to LISTEN Community Services (60 Hanover St., Lebanon, N.H., 03766), or the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF-Bipolar Research, 90 Park Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10016).
Condolences may be shared with the family at www.rickerfuneralhome.com.