Captain John C. Frothingham, USN Retired, of Exeter, NH, passed away on January 26, 2018. He was born in Charleston, WV, on February 12, 1939, to the late Carey and Mary Frothingham.

He entered the Navy through an NROTC program at the University of Virginia. He graduated in 1961 with a B.S. in aeronautical engineering, and commenced a distinguished 23- year naval career, entering Nuclear Power School in 1964.

John and his first wife Gail married in 1969. John served on multiple assignments in the Submarine Service during the height of the Cold War, including Commander of the USS James Monroe, a ballistic missile nuclear submarine, the USS Blue Ridge 7th fleet command ship, and the US Pentagon. He retired as Captain, USN in 1984. He and Gail moved to Topsham, ME, with their three daughters and John began a civilian career as a Nuclear Power Professional, holding several management roles in Operations and Quality Control at Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plant where he retired in 1997.

John and Rhonda shared a passion for ballroom dancing which brought them together. They married in 1997 and eventually moved to Brunswick, ME, and then to Exeter, NH. Since boyhood, John was an avid model airplane enthusiast. He built exquisite models and flew them at competitions with Rhonda in Muncie, IN. He loved to share this hobby with his grandsons.

John had a love for music. Since boyhood he has sung in church choirs and played piano. He played clarinet and tenor sax in marching bands and in a swing band in college. After moving to Maine, John sang with St. Paul’s Choir, the Oratorio Chorale and the Downeasters Barbershop Chorus. John will be remembered for his integrity, sense of duty, and his devotion to his family, Country, and God.

He was predeceased by his late wife Gail, who passed away in 1992, and his brother Marshall.

He is survived by his wife Rhonda of Exeter, NH; daughters Julia of South Portland, ME, Jane of Savannah, GA, Mary of Moab, UT; brother George of Bethlehem, PA; nephew Stephen of Los Angeles, CA; grandsons Edward (Julie) and Bowden (Mary); and stepdaughter Emily of Swampscott, MA.

A funeral service will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, located at 27 Pleasant St., Brunswick, ME 04011, on Saturday March 24th at 11 AM.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, New England Chapter, 114 Perimeter Road, Nashua, NH 03063 in support of John’s grandson, Edward Warner.

To view John’s online tribute, send condolences to the family, or for more information, please visit www.csnh.com.