Jean-Philippe "JP" Pillone

Jean-Philippe “JP” Pillone, 59 years old of Wolfeboro, NH, passed away on May 4, 2025 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born on July 12, 1965 in Creil, France, the youngest of four to M. Gerard and Mme. Yvette Pillone.

JP had a joyful upbringing in the North of France, but he most looked forward to summers spent with his cousins and family in their family home, the Villa Uranie, in the French Riviera. He went on to earn his Master’s in Hospitality Management from ESSEC Business School and moved to England, where he lived with his cousin Joëlle and worked during his young adult life.

His wife, Melissa, was the first woman he met when he moved to the United States to work at the Meridian Hotel in Boston. They got married in Paris in 1992, where they had their first son Kevin, then moved to Coronado, California, and eventually settled down in Quincy, MA to have their two daughters, Isabelle and Sarah, and their playful dog, Penny.

Through food and beverage management in the Boston area, he was a kind director and mentor to his colleagues, notably at the Boston College Club and New England Aquarium. In 2022, JP and Melissa made a brave move to Wolfeboro, NH to open a restaurant, Bistro 19, where he could directly serve customers and offer a pleasant dining experience. He finally worked for Glendale Dining Services at Taylor Community.

He was a faithful Christian, becoming a devoted member and leader at the First Presbyterian Church in Quincy, MA, and then finding a new home at the First Christian Church in Wolfeboro, NH. He valued everyone in his church communities, spreading love and grace through conversation and acts of service.

JP cherished simple moments with friends and family, such as walks in the park, a nice meal with a tasteful beverage, cheering for France in the World Cup, and playing with his nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. He loved the summer sunshine which reminded him of his childhood in the South of France. A self-proclaimed “sit-down comedian”, he found a way to make everyone laugh, from his earliest words to his final days.

Jean-Philippe is survived by his beloved wife, Melissa; three children, Kevin, Isabelle, and Sarah; grandchildren, Elio and Poppy; parents Gerard and Yvette Pillone; his three older siblings, Marie-Hélène, Jean-Marc and his wife Caroline, and Jean-François and his wife Nathalie; his in-laws Jack and Maureen Minahan and sister in-law Laurie Zembeck; along with their families and many friends in the US and France for whom he cared beyond words.

The family invites you to attend the following services to honor Jean-Philippe’s life:

Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, May 8, 2025 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Lord Funeral Home, 23 Club Lane in Wolfeboro, NH, 03894.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, May 9, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at the First Christian Church at 83 North Main Street, Wolfeboro, NH 03894.

Following the Funeral Services, only family and close friends will be cordially invited to join a small procession to the South Wolfeboro Cemetery for interment.

For the Friday services, JP requests that we wear colors to remember his bright spirit and warm heart.

Please join us for a Celebration of Life luncheon on Friday following the burial services at the Kingswood Golf Club, where JP spent his first years in Wolfeboro operating his restaurant and doing what he did best 一 making sure that people were happy.

In lieu of flowers, the family wishes to have donations made in Jean-Philippe’s name to Interfaith Social Services, an organization close to his heart that promotes mental health services, housing and food assistance, and more resources to individuals and families in need.

https://secure.givelively.org/donate/interfaith-social-services-inc/sarah-pillone

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