May 20—Jeff Monroe knew how to get things done. He was fiercely ambitious and keenly observant, and his former colleges and friends say that when he was passionate about something he went all in, whether that meant collecting hundreds of model trains in his basement or being ordained as an Anglican priest later in life.
Monroe died on May 13, according to his obituary. He was 71.
As the director of transportation for the city of Portland — a role he held for about a decade in the late 1990s and early 2000s — Monroe was instrumental in modernizing the working waterfront and expanding the Portland International Jetport, according to former colleagues.
He spearheaded the Ocean Gateway project, which was completed in 2008 and moved commercial waterfront operations to the West End and ferry ports and recreational docks to the eastern waterfront. As part of the project, he advocated for the opening of the city’s cruise ship terminal, which first allowed ships to dock directly downtown.
Friends said he had a deep love for the waterfront and consistently advocated for its expansion and modernization.
Tom Meyers worked with Monroe on some of these projects as the transportation and waterfront coordinator for South Portland. Meyers said Monroe was skilled at coming up with an ambitious vision and executing it — sometimes strategically, sometimes with sheer willpower.
“He was forceful in what he wanted to accomplish,” said Meyers. “Jeff just really understood the system. He understood how to get things done and wasn’t afraid to find out where the sticky parts were and get through them.”
Bill Needleman also worked for the city with Monroe and remembers him as a strong and effective leader who consistently brought projects over the finish line.
“He was larger than life, always willing to be in front of the camera. Never shy. Well informed. And occasionally controversial; he was outspoken,” said Needleman.
Outside of his career with the city, Monroe had many interests, often tied to the maritime industry, which he remained involved with until his death.
He taught students at the State University of New York Maritime College and at Massachusetts Maritime, and he led transportation management classes at the University of Southern Maine. He helped organize sailing events that drew thousands to the waterfront, joined the Portland Propeller Club, consulted with ports around New England on their growth and development, and worked as a commercial ship captain.
And he joined religious groups like the Freemasons and served as an Anglican priest.
“He had a long, salty career,” said Nico Walsh, a friend and former colleague who now works as a lawyer.
“He left the place a hell of a lot better for having passed through,” said another friend, Phineas Sprague, owner of Portland Yacht Services.
Monroe lived near Trundy Point in Cape Elizabeth for decades with his wife, Linda. He had two children, Michelle and Michael, according to the Rev. Gary Drinkwater, a longtime friend.
In 2017, Monroe became involved with the Anglican Church. Drinkwater was a deacon when he met Monroe just as he was opening up the Anglican Church of Transfiguration in Mechanic Falls.
“Jeff had so much spirit and he knew a lot of people, so he helped me find the best place for the church,” said Drinkwater.
The two became close friends, talking on the phone every couple of days, even when Monroe and his wife began spending chunks of the year in South Carolina.
“There are some people that you connect with, you have a chemistry,” said Drinkwater, who also had worked on ships. “We could talk the language and share sea stories. It was just a match made in heaven. We even liked a good shot of Irish whiskey occasionally.”
Drinkwater said Monroe’s dogged determination and ability to throw his weight behind what he most believed in extended to his friends. Drinkwater said Monroe was the one who first suggested he become a pastor.
“I didn’t have near the accolades that man had, but he believed in me, and when he believed in something, it happened,” said Drinkwater. “If he put his shoulder to the wheel it moved, and he did that for me.”
One of Monroe’s biggest strengths as a pastor was his ability to translate his passion for his God into digestible sermons that people from all different backgrounds could understand, said Drinkwater. He described Monroe as an accessible preacher who would “champion the lord in language that was understandable by the layperson.”
Monroe served for years as a pastor at St. Margaret Anglican Church in Conway, New Hampshire. He started a parish at St. Augustine of Canterbury Anglican Church in Old Orchard Beach. When he began spending time in South Carolina, he also served as a pastor at St. Timothy’s Anglican Catholic Church in Charleston, according to Drinkwater.
Last June, Drinkwater and Monroe went together to the Blessing of the Fleet, where religious leaders in Portland bless boats big and small to kick off the summer season. Drinkwater remembers it was an overcast, windy day in Portland, and as he lifted the reeds from the water, droplets were blowing back in his face, soaking his glasses and clothes by the end of the event.
“Well there, you ought to be holy enough now,” he remembers Monroe joking. After the event, Drinkwater said, Monroe bought him a pint.
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