John E. Stansfield, Jr.

John E. Stansfield, Jr., 75, passed away peacefully on Friday, August 14, 2026, of natural causes at home with his wife of 12 years, Melinda, by his side.

John was born in Lowell on January 6, 1951, and was the son of the late John E. “Jack” Stansfield, Sr., and Priscilla (Swanson) Stansfield.

He was raised in Chelmsford and attended Chelmsford High School. He furthered his education and earned his BA from Bates College and his Master’s in English from Northeastern University.

In addition to his loving wife Melinda, John leaves his brothers Scott Stansfield and his son Stephan and wife Hanh (Le), and Eric Stansfield; his children, Jack Stansfield and his wife Alissa, Robert (Bobby) Stansfield, and Erin Stansfield; his aunt Virginia Swanson; and his cousins Herb, Jeff, and Mark Swanson, and Merridy Menna and Robert Gordon, Jr.

John went on to become VP of Pro Corps in Framingham, where he was in charge of Development and Production of McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys. He ended his career at his family’s business, Stansfield Tire Center, in Lowell, founded by his grandfather in 1918 and is still thriving today under the leadership of John’s brother, Eric.

John was an avid skier since the age of 3. It was in his genes from both the Stansfield and Swanson sides of the family. John worked his way up from instructor to trainer at the Nashoba Valley Ski School in Westford, MA for a 30-year tenure; and it was there that he met his wife Melinda (also an instructor). He was known for his quick wit and classic ski style. One of his great joys was teaching the annual British ski groups at Sunday River, Maine with Melinda for over 15 years, and those Brits remain cherished friends to this day. John’s heart was, and always will be, with Cannon Mountain in Franconia, NH- where he proposed to Melinda atop the summit, and was known as a “local”; he referred to it as his mountain home.

John was also a life-long runner, winning the Master’s Division of the Bay State Marathon and the NH State Marathon and runner up in the Mount Desert Island Marathon – affectionately referred to as “one tough mother of a race – up hill…both ways!”

In lieu of flowers or services, our family, at John’s request, invites you to make a donation to the Lowell Humane Society (lowellhumanesociety.org) and/or New England Ski Museum, Franconia, NH (skimuseum.org).