OBITUARIES for Thursday, February 18, 2021

JOHN A. ROLLESTON

CLINTON – John Alvin Rolleston, 64, died Tuesday, January 19, 2021, at a local hospital. He was born October 10, 1956, in Mahopac, New York, the son of George A. Rolleston and Rae E. Prahl.

He attended Fenton High School, in Fenton, Michigan, and attended Albion College for one year, Albion, Michigan.

John was self-employed in tax and financial services for over 35 years. John also enjoyed golfing and spending time with family and friends. He was a past treasurer for many years for the Clinton Lions Agricultural Fair, member of the Ira Berry Lodge #128, Blue Hill and the Sebasticook Lodge #146, Clinton and a member of the Skowhegan Elks.

John is survived by his stepmother, Barbara Rolleston; brothers, George J. and his wife, Roxanne, and Guy J. Rolleston; nephews and nieces, Kristopher, Matthew, Christopher, Lura and Jonathan.

He was predeceased by his parents.

Currently, there is no memorial service.

Memorial contributions in John’s may be made to your favorite charity.

CARMEN L. GIROUX

VASSALBORO – Carmen L. Giroux, 76, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 31, 2021, at MaineGeneral Medical Center. She was born on June 5, 1944, the day prior to D-Day, a daughter of the late Phillip and Sadie Morneau (Bolduc). She was one of nine children.

Carmen married Richard Giroux on July 6, 1963. Early on, Carmen was a homemaker raising her family. She worked many jobs throughout her life. She worked early on at C. F. Hathaway Shirt Factory, in Waterville, and was later employed in the medical field as a CNA, at Volmer’s Nursing Home, Lemieux’s Orchard, both in Vassalboro, and drove bus when she was needed. The last position that she was very proud of was her housekeeping position that she held at MaineGeneral Medical Center. This position she received awards for her excellence in her work ethics.

Carmen could cook! She was amazing and always had food on the table and in the oven. She could make the best food out of nothing. No one could duplicate her food. She would always want to feed you when you came over. She loved her flowers and planted many different flowers around her house. She had a soft spot for animals and loved to feed the birds, squirrel and chipmunks that came upon her deck. Many strays found their home with her. Carmen loved to garden and was always canning her rewards that she grew. She was a hard worker all her life. She was very religious and was always praying.

Carmen will be deeply and forever missed by all who knew her, but especially by her son Peter and her husband Richard who cared for at home as her health faltered.

Carmen was predeceased by her parents, Phillip and Sadie Morneau, sister, Jacqueline Halle, brother, Phillip Lawrence Morneau, sister, Mary Jane Cliché, and great-grandchild, Larissa Patnaude.

She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Richard Giroux; sons, Peter Giroux, of Vassalboro, Richard Giroux Jr. and wife Cynthia, of Albion; daughters, Jacqueline Giroux, of Vassalboro, Barbara Patnaude and husband David, of China; her nine grandchildren, Daven Giroux, Jessica Bolduc, Jacob Boivin, Jaron Boivin, Jestil Boivin, Jadelynn Giroux, Nathan Patnaude, Michael Patnaude, Caleb Patnaude; her siblings, Robert and Mary Morneau, Paul Morneau, Theresa and Joe Thibodeau, Reginald and Laurie Morneau, Roger and Cindy Morneau, as well as seven great-grandchildren; and nieces, nephews, cousins.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Wednesday, February 10, at Notre Dame Catholic Church, 116 Silver Street, Waterville. Burial followed in the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 163 Mount Vernon Road, Augusta, Maine, 04330.

Arrangements are under the direction and care of Gallant Funeral Home, 10 Elm Street, Waterville.

An online guestbook may be signed, condolences and memories shared at http://www.gallantfh.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Carmen’s name to the Muscular Dystrophy Association USA National Office, 161 N. Clark, Suite 3550, Chicago, IL 60601

NANCY L. RODRIGUE

WINSLOW – Nancy L. (St. Pierre) Rodrigue, 76, passed away Sunday, January 31, 2021, at Oak Grove Center, in Waterville. She was born November 22, 1944, in Brunswick, the daughter of George and Georgette (Johnson) St. Pierre.

She was educated in the schools of Brunswick and on December 27, 1976, she married Joseph Rodrigue. She enjoyed reading and crocheting.

Nancy is survived by daughter, Nancy Clowes, of Waterville; granddaughter, Terri Clowes, of Waterville; two brothers, James St. Pierre, of Portland, and LonAllen St. Pierre; two sisters, Linda St. Pierre and Betty St. Pierre.

She was predeceased in 2020 by her husband, Joseph Rodrigue.

A graveside service will be held at a later date at the convenience of the family.

Arrangements under the direction and care of Dan and Scott’s Cremation and Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Rd., Skowhegan ME 04976.

DANIEL N. GORDON

WINDSOR – Daniel Norman Gordon, 78, of Weeks Mills Road, died Monday, February 8, 2021, at his home following a brief illness. He was born in Gardiner on December 20, 1942, the son of Robert N. Gordon and Anne (Thomas) Gordon.

Dan served honorably in the U.S. Army 1961-1964.

Prior to his retirement, he was employed as a line foreman for Joseph Kirschner Co. in Augusta, for many years, He worked for 10 years as a supervisory security guard at Digital, in Augusta, followed by security guard at Augusta General Hospital. His last and favorite job was special education driver for RSU #12.

Dan was a member of North Windsor Baptist Church where he served as deacon and trustee.

He was very involved in his community; he was on the organization committee for Windsor Days for 10 years, was a selectman for the town of Windsor for six years and volunteer ambulance driver for five years.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Robert Gordon and Ronald Gordon, and one sister, Judith Tuttle.

Surviving is his wife, Pamela (Peaslee) Gordon, of Windsor; a daughter, Tammy Colfer and her husband Tim, of Hermon; two brothers, William Gordon, of Leesburg, Florida, and Leon Gordon, of Litchfield; a sister, Barbara Thompson, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire; two grandchildren, Shawn and Alexis Colfer; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

There are no planned visiting hours. Spring burial will be in Rest Haven Cemetery, Windsor, to be announced at later time.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Plummer Funeral Home, 983 Ridge Rd., Windsor. Condolences, stories and photos may be shared at http://www.plummerfh.com.

DONALD T. WESCOTT

SIDNEY – Donald T. Wescott, 86, of Sidney died Monday, February 8, 2021. He was born July 22, 1934, in Meriden, Connecticut, the son of Donald L. and Iva (Tracy) Wescott

He was a graduate of Meriden High School, in Connecticut, and a 1958 graduate of Norwich University, Northfield, Vermont, with a degree in business administration and commissioned Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army. In 1965, he continued his education at University of Maine Orono, earning a teaching degree in physical education and kinesiology.

Don was a high school teacher and football coach at Newburyport, Massachusetts; Stearns High School, Millinocket, Croton-Harmon High School, Croton-on-Hudson, New York; and Messalonskee High School, Oakland.

An avid outdoorsman, Don enjoyed fly fishing, hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing. But it was competitive canoeing that filled his later life. He competed in races all over the U.S. and Canada. He felt honored to be named “Ten Canoes” by canoists in the Penobscot Nation. Don was proud of his canoeing, his downeast heritage, and his family. His little piece of “Heaven on Earth” was the family camp on Pleasant Lake, above Patten.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Beverly (Suedmeyer) Wescott; a daughter, Jennifer L. Hickey and husband Colin, of Waterville, three sons, Kyle T. Wescott and wife Donna, of Waterville, Stephen M. Wescott and partner Deborah Kelley, of Winthrop, and Jon D. Wescott and wife Larissa, of Lions Bay, British Columbia, Canada; six grandchildren, Casey P. Wescott, of Belgrade, Melissa N. Wescott, of Aubrey, Texas, Benjamin I. Hickey and Jacob C. Hickey, both of New Orleans, Louisiana, Keaton D. Wescott and Elena C. Wescott, both of Lions Bay, British Columbia, Canada.

There will be no public service.

An online guestbook may be signed, condolences and memories shared at https://www.gallantfh.com/.

DAVID H. TONDREAU

AUGUSTA—David H. Tondreau, 69, of Augusta, died Wednesday, February 10, 2021, at his home. He was born in Augusta October 23, 1951, the son of Conrad and Ruth (Fletcher) Tondreau.

David attended Cony High School, in Augusta, and joined the Army soon after. He served in Vietnam for just over four years. David worked as a truck driver and heavy equipment operator for many years. His true loves in life were his family, his country and his pug dogs.

David was predeceased by his father, Conrad Tondreau and his brother Lionel Tondreau.

He is survived by his wife, JoAnn (Noble) Tondreau; his mother, Ruth; his children, David Heath Tondreau, Brandon Tondreau and his wife Lisa, and Amanda Lemarre and her husband, Gerald, all of Carthage, Texas; a brother, Gary Tondreau and his wife Lorena, of Sidney; his sisters, Cheryl Dutil and her husband Jim, Laurie Tondreau and Valerie Schriver and her husband, Mike, all of Augusta; ten grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

A graveside service will be held later in the Spring .

Arrangements are in the care of Knowlton and Hewins Funeral Home, One Church Street, Augusta.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the funeral home website at www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.com.

VBA scholarship applications available

The Vassalboro Business Association’s Scholarship applications are now available. They should be in local high school’s guidance offices or they can be emailed or mailed to you directly by calling or texting 207-631-3303 with your address. They are due April 15.

They are $500 scholarships for post-secondary programs of study. Recipient(s) must have been a resident of Vassalboro for the past two years. This scholarship rewards community service experiences.

Polar Bear Dip challenge takes new twist

A photo from last year’s 2020 Polar Bear challenge: AYCC Childcare leadership team, Chrissy Johnson, Bobbi Pelletier and DJ Adams, take the dip. (photo by Missy Brown, Central Maine Photography staff)

As top earner for the Annual Polar Bear Dip for the past six years in a row, Tony Tuell and his team of Silver Streen Tavern heroes have raised over $35,000
to help the AYCC provide meals to kids and families experiencing food insecurity.

This year’s virtual event, Shiver yer Shamrocks, requires Dippers to create a challenge, film and post it, then raise funds.

Anthony Tuell is Colby College’s Supervisor of Mechanical & Electrical Services and Polar Bear Dipper Extraordinaire!

The Shiver yer Shamrocks event will be held Saturday, March 20, at noon.

MaineGeneral Health opens new practice

MaineGeneral Health has announced the opening of a new medical practice, MaineGeneral Addiction Medicine on Feb. 1, 2021. Addiction Medicine will provide comprehensive services to patients seeking treatment for substance use disorder, opiate use disorder and the treatment of other addictive substances. Services are offered at two locations, 9 Green Street in Augusta and Thayer Center for Health in Waterville.

MaineGeneral’s Addiction Medicine team uses an evidence-based approach to manage opioid, alcohol and stimulant and sedative (benzodiazepine) use disorders, with a focus on diagnosis, treatment and prevention. “From one-on-one appointments with addiction medicine physicians, to group meetings, individual counseling and needle exchange services, we are here to support patients and families through this process,” said Nicholas Gallagher, DO, medical director.

“MaineGeneral looks forward to providing more robust substance use disorder treatment services to our community,” said Chuck Hays, president/CEO. “For the last 15 years, we have provided medication-assisted treatment for opiate use disorder. Having an Addiction Medicine practice allows us to continue to effectively respond to the current opioid crisis in our community, as well as the ongoing prevalence of alcohol use disorder and its long-ranging effects on individuals and families.”

To learn more about MaineGeneral Addiction Medicine, please call 872-4151 or 207-621-3759 or visit http://www.mainegeneral.org/addiction-medicine.

China planners defer to next meeting

by Mary Grow

Three China Planning Board members at the Feb. 9 board meeting spent another hour discussing a proposed solar ordinance and whether additional language about shoreland stabilization should be added to town regulations (see The Town Line, Feb. 4).

At the suggestion of Vice-Chairman Toni Wall, acting as chairman in Randy Downer’s absence, they deferred decisions to the board’s Feb. 23 meeting, when Wall hopes all five members will be able to attend.

The Tuesday, Feb. 23, meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and is likely to be by Zoom again.

Discussions continue over retirement benefits

by Steve Ball

Windsor Town Manager Theresa Haskell (photo by Sandra Isaac)

During the February 2 meeting, the selectmen discussed the retirement match for town employees. A discussion took place over whether to increase the retirement match benefit by percent over the term of the employees tenure. Windsor Town Manager Theresa Haskell will provide more details of expense and employee qualification at the next selectmen’s meeting.

Selectmen Richard H. Gray Jr., Andrew Ballantyne, Ray Bates, William Appel, and Ronald F. Brann were all in attendance. No one from the public attended.

The town manager presented the monthly report for the transfer station. For the month of January the town was up $2,411.35 in revenue from last year and the town is $9,460.00 up for the current fiscal year.

Action on approving the Re­vised Employee Manual was moved to the next selectmen’s meeting. In addition, the town manager handed out a proposed COVID-19 procedure for the board of selectmen to review and will be discussed at the next board meeting.

The town manger said the town currently has 83 unregistered dogs compared to 50 at this time last year. It was noted that since the town of Windsor is still in the State of Emergency because of COVID-19, all unregistered dogs will have their registrations extended until 30 days following the termination of the state of emergency by Gov. Janet Mills

China broadband committee reviews three bids for expanded service

by Mary Grow

Members of China’s Broadband Committee (CBC) displayed impressive technological understanding as they reviewed summaries of three bids for expanded and improved broadband service in town at their Feb. 11 meeting.

Tod Detre, not hesitant about answering technical questions, admitted that “my eyes glazed over” as he tried to read some of the legal sections of the bids; but fellow CBC member Jamie Pitney is an attorney and had that aspect covered.

The committee received three bids for the project, from Sertex Broadband Solutions, of Plainfield, Connecticut; Axiom Technologies of Machias, Maine; and Spectrum Community Solutions of Augusta, Maine.

The bid summaries were prepared by Mark van Loan, of Mission Broadband, the committee’s consultant for the bid process. Van Loan and John Dougherty took part in the zoom committee meeting, as did Brent Chesley from China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee and Ben Topor, from Spectrum, the only bidder represented.

Discussion focused on what questions committee members need answered to help them compare the three bids. Van Loan and committee chairman Robert O’Connor had prepared some in advance, and other members contributed others.

If a proposal is to be submitted to voters at the Tuesday, June 8, town business meeting, committee members need to make a decision, figure out the financial implications and have their proposal reviewed by selectmen and the budget committee by mid-March. The town business meeting had originally been set for May 18, but selectmen voted to postpone it to the later date.

They therefore accepted Van Loan’s offer to send questions out on Feb. 12 with answers requested by Wednesday, Feb. 17. They scheduled a meeting to review additional information for 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 18, and meetings to interview one, two or all three bidders for Monday, Feb. 22, beginning at 5 p.m.

Sertex and Axiom each propose to build a new system from the ground up and to have it become town-owned. Both would oversee a separate construction company. Sertex would also supervise a service provider; Axiom would itself be the service provider.

Spectrum would build on its existing service network in China, including extending service to, by its figures, 120 households not now served. Other sources listed fewer expansions needed.

Detre said repeatedly his number one goal is to extend broadband service to everyone in town. No one argued. Committee members also discussed other services, like cable television, and how they would be provided by each bidder.

2021 China Four Seasons Club fishing derby winners

Lunker of the day: Jeremy Ross, largemouth bass, 6 lbs. 6 oz.

Brown trout: 1. Kylie Caruso, 2 lbs., 13 oz.; 2. Jacob Martin, 2 lbs. 11 oz.

Brook trout: 1. Betsy Discharden, 1 lb. 6 oz.; 2. Owen Robeshauge, 1 lb. 4.5 oz.; 3. Shawn Tibbetts, 1 lb. 3 oz.

Chain pickerel: 1. Nathan Wright, 4 lbs. 7 oz.; 2. Greg Candelmo (no weight available); 3. Aaron Sousa, 4 lbs.

Largemouth bass: 1. Jeremy Ross, 6 lbs. 6 oz.; 2. Brian Garret, 5 lbs. 2 oz.; 3. Olivia Hutchinson, 4 lbs. 15 oz.

Perch: Children 15 and under division: by count: 1. Maryanna Dregier, with 34; 2. Blake Owens, 27; Charles Shapel, 10; Logan Jahosworth, 4; Baily Clonier, 3.

China Four Seasons Club ice fishing derby enjoyed by many

Jeremy Ross shows his prize winning 6 lbs., 6 oz. largemouth bass, as the Lunker of the Day.

by Sandra Isaac

The China Four Seasons Club and The China Village Fire Department held their 2nd annual China Lake Ice Fishing Derby on Sunday, February 14. The event was well attended with the entire group spread out over China Lake, where the fishing for the derby was limited. “It was great to see so many families and children involved with this year’s derby,” said Tom Rumpf, President of the China Four Seasons Club. The largest fish was caught by Jeremy Ross. The largemouth bass weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, winning both the largemouth fishing division and the “Lunker of the Day” award. The derby concluded with a fireworks display set off by Central Maine Pyrotechnics at the north end of the lake.

Olivia Hutchinson displays her third place winning largemouth bass.

Maryanna Dregier took first prize in the children 15 and under category, catching 34 perch.

Give Us Your Best Shot! for Thursday, February 18, 2021

To submit a photo for this section, please visit our contact page or email us at townline@townline.org!

HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU: Michael Bilinsky, of China Village, captured this tufted titmouse which seems preoccupied with its visitor.

EXPECTING SOMETHING?: Emily Poulin, of South China, photographed this blue jay looking skyward.

LOOKING FOR SNACK: Joan Chaffee, of Clinton, snapped this pileated woodpecker as he drills into a tree looking for something to eat.