James P. Ewen, 77, of Lunenburg, died Sunday morning, Feb. 14, in his home after a short illness.

He was born in Fitchburg, on May 30, 1932, a son of the late Harold P. and Laura L. (Ferguson) Ewen.  Mr. Ewen graduated from Fitchburg High School in 1950 where he was a standout football player and received a scholarship to play football at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester where he would receive his bachelor degree in 1955.  He then joined the U.S. Army and served in Germany with Army Security during the Korean War.

Mr. Ewen worked for 20 years at the former Crocker Burbank, Warehouser and James River Paper Companies in Fitchburg before going to work for the Anheuser Busch Company in Merrimack, NH until his retirement in 1995.  In 1966 he and his family founded the Ewen’s Sleepy Hollow Sugar House in Lunenburg and for several years he also drove school buses for the community.

He enjoyed spending time in Clearwater FL and later Sarasota, FL as well as Kennebunk, ME.  He was a member of the Fitchburg Lodge of Elks and Bradenton Moose Lodge in Florida. Mr. Ewen was also a member of the Operating Engineers Local 877 and the Teamsters Local 633.  He was also a former Boy Scout Leader and very active in youth sports in town many years ago. 

His wife Barbara J. (Christoforno) died in 2004.  He leaves two sons, Scott J. Ewen and his wife Susan of Cushing, ME and Mark D. Ewen and his wife Sheryl of Lunenburg; two daughters, Pamela J. Ewen-Pospisil and her husband Jim of Lunenburg and Kim T. Stambaugh and her husband William of Cushing, ME; a sister, Irene Thibault and her husband Richard of Peterborough, NH; 7 grandchildren, Gina Barilla, Stacia Stambaugh, Heather Stambaugh, Nathan Stambaugh, Rebecca Ewen, Tyler Ewen and Travis Ewen; his companion Helen A. Dumont and several nephews and nieces.  He is predeceased by a grandson, Jimmy Pospisil who died in 2005.

A funeral service was held on Monday, Feb. 22, at 11 a.m. in the Lunenburg Chapel of the Sawyer-Miller-Masciarelli Funeral Homes, 763 Massachusetts Ave.  Burial will be in the South Cemetery at a later date. Calling hours at the funeral home were held on Sunday, Feb. 21, from 3-5 p.m.In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Joslin Diabetes Center, 1 Joslin Place, Boston, MA 02215. or to the American Cancer Society, 350 Plantation St., Worcester, MA 01604.