Percy A. Northrup

Percy A Northrup, September 19, 1924 - October 5, 2020

Percy Northrup, of Bryant Street, Portland passed away peacefully October 5, 2020 after a long and healthy life. He was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, the son of Helma and Arthur Northrup, and was one of six children. 

He attended East St. John schools and later joined the Canadian Navy where he was a gunner’s mate on defensely-equipped merchant oil tankers traveling between South America and Halifax and Montreal. He mustered out of service in 1945.  He returned to St. John and worked for a few years at the KC Irving Dry Dock. For decades Percy would return to his beloved St. John to visit family.

In 1950 he married Annie Margaret Weber (McInnis) and moved to Portland where he worked for McFarland Spring Company before entering the construction business. Over the years as a tradesman, he worked in various positions including pile driving, iron work, and carpentry. He worked on such construction projects as USM’s Luther Bonney Hall, Bowdoin’s residence tower, Maine Yankee in Wiscasset, and CMP on Cousins Island. 

Beginning with his teen years, Percy was an avid softball and hockey player. In 1939 he received the MVP trophy for the St. John Royals and in 1997 was inducted into the New Brunswick Softball Hall of Fame. He continued playing hockey into his 60s belonging to what was playfully called the ‘cardiac league.’ For many years in the 1950s he played on actor Gary Merrill’s team known as Merrill’s Marauders. He often shared stories of post game revelry at Merrill’s Cape Elizabeth home when Merrill was married to Bette Davis. He later took up golf and played decades.

Upon retirement, Percy and Annie traveled extensively and Percy would usually return home with a collection of stories involving happenstance encounters with sports figures, celebrities, or politicians. He enjoyed national parks, presidential libraries, and taking in sports at stadiums around the US and Canada. He and Annie spent many winters in South Florida. They were married 62 years before Annie passed in 2012. At age 75 he renovated a West End row house which emerged as a bed and breakfast and today remains known as The Percy Inn.

Percy was predeceased by brothers Ralph and Malcolm and sister Marion, all of St. John, NB. He is survived there by two sisters Doreen Belyea of Brown’s Flat, NB and Melba Clark of St. John.  He is survived by five children, Robert (Weber) of Nova Scotia, Dawn (Gray) of Portland, Dale of Miami, Keith of Portland, and David of Westbrook, plus eight grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements by A.T. Hutchins with internment at Evergreen Cemetery at a later date

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