GROWING YOUR BUSINESS: How does your place look?

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Growing your businessby Dan Beaulieu
Business consultant

The way your place of business looks is important. It is a visual indication of how your business is run. The way your business looks, in many ways let’s your customers know a great deal about you.

In my business, which is working with electronic companies all over the country, I’ve talked to officials who audit these companies to qualify them to be able to build high technology products for the military. These auditors tell me that one of their “secrets” is to not only check out the work areas but also the common areas like rest rooms and the cafeterias. They claim that the way these areas are kept is the true indicator of how the company runs.

Think about your place of business. Think about your store, is it well maintained? Is it clean? Are the shelves well-stocked? Are all the lightbulbs working?

How about your restaurant? Obviously, cleanliness is a requirement in a place where people come to eat, right? How does your restaurant fare? How does it look to your customers?

When we lived in Wisconsin years ago there was a restaurant that everyone went to for breakfast. The food was great, and inexpensive, and the place looked great. But then the owner sold it to another person and retired. It soon became obvious that the new owner did not have the passion for the business that the former owner had. We started noticing the differences immediately. The tables were seldom bussed so half of them had the remnants of half-eaten meals. The floor was not washed, and the place was just generally a mess. Actually, the food was just as good since they had kept the same kitchen crew, but the place was too messy for most of the regulars, and we started to leave. In fact, the last two times I went into the place I got syrup on my shirt sleeves since the table had not been wiped. That was it for me.

That restaurant closed after six months of new ownership. It closed after 35 years of being in business. And get this, when it closed the new owner, instead of realizing that he had not done a good job, blamed his failure on the fact that a new chain restaurant had opened up in town, taking away his customers. Interestingly enough the new restaurant was a Chilis and they didn’t even serve breakfast!

Take a look around your business. How does it look to you? Be careful now, because we all get so used to how our place of business looks that we tend to overlook that broken window, those burned out light bulbs, the cracked plaster, the torn booth leather, the weeds growing in the parking lot.

No, take a fresh look at your place of business, from your customers’ point of view. What impression does it make? What does it say about you and your business? Be honest now, because if your business does not look good it will reflect on everything for which your business stands. And that is no way to grow your business.

GARDEN WORKS: Wake up, sleepy head! Maple syrup time is here

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Left, first you gather the sap from the tree using a spout and bucket. Most “backyard” syrup makers use a turkey fryer as an evaporator. It works very well.

Emily Catesby Emily Cates

Wake up, wake up! No more excuses for hibernation or procrastination, Springtime is here. Yes, I know I know — it’s still cold and there’s plenty of snow, each flake erasing an equal amount of motivation to be outside in the garden.

But let’s look at the possibilities anyways, since eventually the window of early-springtime activities will close whether we complete them or not. Why not enjoy a taste of spring by making maple syrup? Let’s whet our appetites by taking a look at this delicious task.

Ah, maple syrup — the amber nectar of our beloved maple tree, made from the sparkling, crystal-clear sap that is a delightful Spring tonic on its own. At 40-45 degrees in the daytime and freezing at night, this luminous sap flows from tree wounds and can be collected.

Maple sugaring supplies are super easy to find at hardware stores or online, and YouTube has an amazing amount of helpful how-to videos.

It is extremely important to use clean, food-grade materials for anything that comes in contact with the sap and syrup. Avoiding trees in polluted areas might is a good idea as well. Also, never overload a tree with too many taps. The best advice I can think of is to use recycled materials if possible, be safe, and to have fun!

To collect the sap, I gather containers such as traditional metal sap pails, water jugs, or buckets. Then, with a 5/16th drill bit, I drill a hole slightly upwards about 2-2 ½ inches, preferably on the south-facing side of the tree. Depending on the setup, I’ll either hang the pails on the tree by the hooks provided on spiles that are gently hammered in the hole, or I run food-grade tubing to a container set on the ground.

Once there’s enough collected, it’s time to strain it and boil it down. Since I only have a small amount of taps and my wood stove is already running this time of year, I usually evaporate the sap in big pots on the stovetop.

40:1 is a common ratio for sap to syrup, which is quite a lot of work for a small amount of product. Oftentimes, depending on how full my hands are this time of year (and how much of it gets raided by my family or myself!), I’ll make the decision to cook with the sap instead of making syrup. I always try to reserve some to slow-cook a chicken…Delicious!

Large quantities of sap are traditionally steamed off in a sugar house with an evaporator suited for many gallons. (I know folks who make a fire in a barrel on its side with foodservice basins fitted on the top.) The sap boils in the basins and is carefully watched, especially as it thickens. Ladle off any foam and impurities from time to time, adding a drop of cream if it threatens to foam over.

Now it’s down to the nitty-gritty! Tell the kids and pets to wait at a safe distance, and put on a pair of steady hands, because this is hot stuff. When the syrup reaches 7 degrees above boiling, or 219 degrees F, it’s ready to carefully strain and pour off into containers. I prefer mason jars, which are handy for canning the syrup. If desired, process in a hot water canner for 10 minutes.

Enjoy maple syrup in as many ways as your imagination allows. How sweet it is to start spring on such a delicious note!

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: 18th & 19th century agriculture

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Edmund and Rachel Clark Homestead

by Mary Grow

The third farm property in the area this series covers that is on the National Register of Historic Places is in China.

The Edmund and Rachel Clark Homestead is on the west side of China Lake. It was listed on the National Register on Oct. 4, 2006. The person who prepared the nomination form was the same Christi Mitchell who described the two farm properties listed in last week’s article on the Albion and Benton farms.

Like the Hussey-Littlefield Farm and Colcord Homestead, the Clark Homestead is private property; the owners’ rights must be respected. Unlike the other two, the list of Maine historic places says the address for the Clark property is restricted, and the application is not available on line.

Wikipedia says the 15-acre property has a surviving farmhouse, the main single-story Cape-style section built about 1789 and a Cape-style addition on the north that dates from the early 1800s. The article is erroneous in that the house and ell are each a story and a half, with paired second-story windows under the pitched roof.

The original central chimney had been taken down by the time the Wikipedia description was written. Surrounding farm buildings had disappeared.

According to the China bicentennial history and on-line genealogies, Edmund Clark, with his wife Rachel and four children, and either three or four of his brothers, plus their parents and their sister and her husband, were the first settlers in China.

Edmund Clark was born Nov. 29, 1743, in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Rachael J. (Coffin) Clark was born around June 9, 1749, probably in Nantucket. They married at an unrecorded date in Barrington, Nova Scotia.

John “Black” Jones and Abraham Burrill surveyed the area around China Lake in the fall of 1773 and finished in the spring of 1774. By then Edmund and Rachel and other family members were in Gardiner, Maine, where they met Jones over the winter.

When Jones resumed the survey in the spring, at least a dozen Clarks came with him or followed over the summer. Sources agree that Edmund chose a lot on the west side of the lake; his brother, Jonathan, Jr., might have settled nearby. The senior Clarks, Jonathan, Sr., and Miriam or Mariam, and other family members preferred the east shore. One brother, Andrew, is said to have established his homestead at the south end of the lake.

Edmund and Rachel Clark’s children who came to China with their parents were Miriam (1767-1803), Elizabeth (1768-1776), Eunice (1770-1845) and Randall (1772-1862). Miriam married another early settler named Thomas Ward in the latter half of the 1780s; Eunice married Thomas Ward’s brother, Samuel. Their sons moved a mile or so north to what is now China Neck and the area west of it, giving the early names Ward’s Hill and Ward’s Corner to localities there.

Edmund and Rachel’s fifth child, Annie (Clark) Pray (1774-1866), was one of the first children born in China. Edmund and Rachel later had two more children, Mary (Clark) Worth, (1779-1847) and Elisha (1785-1865).

Edmund Clark died Feb. 11, 1822, and Rachel probably in February 1829, both in China.

Many local histories include information on early agriculture, or as much information as is available when people lacked time and sometimes skill to keep extensive written records.

Samuel L. Boardman opened his chapter on agriculture in Henry Kingsbury’s Kennebec County history with an overall description of the land in the central Kennebec Valley. The area is well suited to farming, he observed; it has generous water supplies and in many places good soil, is not mountainous and is far enough inland so that plants are not harmed by “the saline winds and fogs of an ocean atmosphere.”

Haying in the 19th century

Boardman wrote that in Winslow, the soil in the Kennebec and Sebasticook river valleys is rich, productive loam, though the eastern edge of town is “ledgy.” Albion, Benton, Clinton and Windsor he listed as “excellent grazing towns,” meaning their soils produced good hay. Writing in 1892, he called China, Vassalboro and Sidney “without question the garden towns of the county.”

The early Kennebec Valley settlers recognized the advantages, Boardman wrote, and made full use of them. He lists a number of early farmers who deserve credit for making major improvements and for sharing them, including R. H. Greene, of Winslow; Jesse Robinson, of Waterville; and Rev. W. A. P. Dillingham, of Sidney.

R. H. Greene is listed on line as one of the Maine agents for The Cultivator, a monthly agricultural magazine published in New York beginning in 1834.

Jesse Robinson was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, in 1772. He had 10 children by three wives, and according to the record of their births lived in several towns in the central Kennebec Valley. He died in Waterville May 12, 1868, and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery.

The Universalist Register has a long biographical sketch of Rev. William Pitt Addison Dillingham in its section on deceased clergy and lay people (see box accompanying this article).

Farming in the late 1700s required cutting trees first, to provide wood to build houses and barns and to keep them warm; to clear the land to grow crops; and to sell to provide income. Several histories mention lumbering, sawmills and exports of wood in various forms.

Milton E. Dowe, in his Palermo history, says settlers arriving in the 1770s found trees over 200-feet tall. The flat stumps left when they were cut down “were large enough for a team of oxen to turn on,” he wrote.

(A team of oxen can mean either two oxen, also called a yoke, or eight oxen, in pairs.)

When Millard Howard continued Palermo’s story in his 2015 Introduction to the Early History of Palermo, Maine, he commented that a life dependent on agriculture is defined by the seasons and the weather, and “if the weather failed to cooperate, disaster was close at hand.”

The first homesteads were, of necessity, self-sufficient farms, where the family grew as much as they could of everything needed to feed themselves and their livestock. Farmers produced a variety of crops; specialization came later.

The history of Fairfield quotes from a letter Elihu Bowerman wrote in 1848 remembering his first years in North Fairfield, starting in the summer of 1783. He, his wife and his two brothers lived in the log house they built.

During the first winter, the potatoes they raised on a Vassalboro farmer’s land froze in the farmer’s cellar. A Winslow farmer gave them some corn that they had ground. They mixed the frozen potatoes and ground corn into loaves and baked them to make “the best bread we had for 16 months.”

Fall harvest in the 19th century.

By cutting trees and selling or burning the wood, they cleared enough land by the spring of 1785 to plant “corn, potatoes, beans and some other things, but no wheat.” They also made boxberry tea and maple sugar.

In Linwood Lowden’s history of Windsor, he wrote that a July 1793 deed describes a “meadow” that the seller of the land had “divided into at least two twelve-acre lots and fenced,” and on which he was growing rye.

An 1807 letter from another early Windsor resident lists the “corn, wheat, rye, and hay” he was growing. By around 1815 several settlers had planted apple orchards; Lowden wrote that from the 1860s until the “great freeze of the winter of 1933-34,” apples were one of Windsor farmers’ main crops.

At least one farmer Lowden mentioned grew flax and potatoes. Early kitchen gardens, he wrote, provided “beans, peas, beets, turnips, squash and pumpkins.”

Palermo had 113 barns by 1820, according to agricultural census records Howard reviewed. Products of the land included wheat, hay (1,185 tons in 1820), oats, barley, peas and beans.

Howard copied a December 1851 letter from Nehemiah Smith, a resident of adjacent South Freedom, that gave more details about mid-19th-century agriculture. The common form of wheat was spring wheat, with Red Sea the preferred variety, although winter wheat was gaining in popularity. Spring wheat was sown May 10, and in 1851 brought the farmer $1 per bushel.

Hay, Smith wrote, was mainly clover and timothy. Haying began around July 15; the 1851 price averaged $8 per ton.

Potatoes had been important until an 1845 crop failure. Apples, once unusual, had become an export crop. Cherries were grown until about a decade earlier, when a “barnacle” appeared on the wood and wiped out the cherry trees.

(A 2020 on-line article by Jane Purnell for LawnStarter lists two cherry tree diseases that affect trunks and branches. Black Knot, characterized by “hard, black swellings or knots” up to six inches long sounds likely to be called a barnacle. Purnell wrote Black Knot reduces production; she did not say it kills the tree, though another source does say affected trees die.

Cytospora canker Purnell described as “dark, depressed cankers”; branches wilt, and cankers can kill “parts” of a tree. Other sources list blossom rot and related fungal diseases as fatal to cherry trees, but their symptoms begin with discolored or wilting flowers that Smith did not mention.)

Alice Hammond’s history of the Town of Sidney says that hay was Sidney’s most important crop from the early days, for home use and, as horse-drawn transportation expanded, for sale to urban areas. She quoted an 1850 report that Sidney “produced more than 5,700 tons of hay” that year.

Early settlers in Sidney also planted apples. Hammond wrote that apple trees were at first put on land less useful for farming and along stone walls that bounded fields.

As the population of the Kennebec Valley grew, agriculture was supplemented by manufacturing and commerce, but it has never been replaced, as anyone familiar with the area knows. From haying in the spring through apple-picking and the annual Common Ground Country Fair in the fall, from farm machinery on the roads to farm photos on websites, it remains important.

William A. P. Dillingham

According to the Universalist Register, William Addison Pitt Dillingham was born Sept. 4, 1824, in Hallowell, and raised in Augusta by an uncle after his parents died.

The Universalist biography assures us of his purity, invulnerability to the bad habits of his peers, “noble and generous impulses and…conscientiousness and truthfulness,” character traits that appeared in his youth and continued throughout his life.

Dillingham spent a semester at Waterville (later Colby) College before transferring to “Cambridge” – presumably Harvard – where he abandoned law school for divinity school. Ordained in 1847, he served first in Augusta and then in other Maine towns, including Sidney, where he bought a farm, and Waterville.

He married Caroline Townsend, of Sidney, and they had two sons and a daughter. In 1864 and 1865 he was Waterville’s representative in the Maine House, serving as Speaker in 1865.

In 1867 Dillingham switched from the Universalists to the Swedenborgians, for whom he preached in Chicago before rejoining the Universalists there in 1870. In 1871 he had just come back to his Sidney farm and arranged to preach in Sidney when he died suddenly of pneumonia on April 22, 1871.

Main sources

Dowe, Milton E., History Town of Palermo Incorporated 1884 (1954).
Fairfield Historical Society, Fairfield, Maine 1788-1988 (1988).
Grow, Mary M. China, Maine Bicentennial History including 1984 revisions (1984).
Hammond, Alice, History of Sidney Maine 1792-1992 (1992).
Howard, Millard, An Introduction to the Early History of Palermo, Maine (second edition, December 2015).
Kingsbury, Henry D., ed., Illustrated History of Kennebec County Maine 1625-1892 (1892).
Lowden, Linwood H., good Land & fine Contrey but Poor roads a history of Windsor, Maine (1993).

Websites, miscellaneous.

Next: agriculture, continued: livestock.

Women’s Equal Pay Day to be held March 24, 2021

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by Mary Grow
External Communications, Waterville Branch, American Association of University Women

The Waterville Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) will observe Equal Pay Day 2021 on Wednesday, March 24.

Equal Pay Day is the date each spring that women catch up to men in terms of how much they earned in 2020. In other words, because women, on average, earn less for comparable work than men do, they must work longer for the same amount of pay.

Traditionally, Waterville AAUW branch members have observed the day with a bake sale at the Waterville Shaw’s supermarket, selling cookies to men for $1 and to women for 80 cents.

Because of the pandemic, this year they plan two substitute activities, for AAUW members and non-members. First, they ask people to write to their U. S. Senators and Representatives asking them to support the Paycheck Fairness Act. Second, they urge people to wear red on March 24, to signify that women are “in the red” in terms of pay.

The Paycheck Fairness Act is intended to update, clarify and close loopholes in the 1963 Equal Pay Act. In the 116th Congress (January 2019-January 2021), the House of Representatives passed the Paycheck Fairness Act; the Senate did not act.

Equal Pay Day was first observed in 1996, to illustrate the pay gap between men and women. On average in 2021, women working full-time are paid 83 percent of what men working full-time in comparable jobs are paid.

The average gap is greater for mothers, who earn 70 cents for each dollar a man earns and for whom Equal Pay Day in 2021 is June 4, and for women of color. Latina women are worse off, earning on average 55 cents for each dollar comparably employed men receive; Latina women’s 2021 Equal Pay Day is not until Oct. 21.

Mailing addresses for Maine’s four Congressional members follow. Each has a website with information on sending him or her an email or telephone message.
Representative Chellie Pingree:

U. S. House of Representatives
2162 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515.

Representative Jared Golden:
U. S. House of Representatives
1223 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515.

Senator Angus King:
U. S. Senate
133 Hart Building
Washington, DC 20510.

Senator Susan Collins:
U. S. Senate
413 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510.

Hope’s Place meetings to be held online on Wednesdays

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The next session of Hope’s Place will be held Wednesday nights online starting April 7, 2021. Groups begin at 6 p.m., and end by 7 p.m.

The mission of Hope’s Place is to provide a safe, supportive environment for grieving children, teens and families through peer support groups. This program serves youth ages 3 – 18 and their parents or caregivers. Families who have experienced the death of a loved one are encouraged to contact Jillian Roy at 873-3615, ext. 19, or email jroy@hvwa.org for more information, or to arrange a pre-group interview. Hope’s Place group sessions will be held virtually.

SOLON & BEYOND: Pine Tree 4-H Club still active

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Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

I am so happy to have some recent news to share with you this morning. And I would like to thank Hailey Dellarma for sending it.

Solon Pine Tree 4-H met on Saturday, March 13, at the Solon Fire Station. In attendance were: Cooper and Kaitlin Dellarma, Lindsay and Charlotte Hamilton, Jillian and Desmond Robinson, Katelyn and Devyn DeLeonards, Autumn and Matt Ladd, and Isabella Atwood. There wasn’t any craft project during this meeting. Demonstrations were given by the following members: Devyn DeLeonards and Matt Ladd: DIY Knife Sharpener; Isabella Atwood: Guinea Pig Treats, Charlotte Hamilton: Fabric Guinea Pig Shelter; Linsay Hamilton: How to make a rope halter; Katelyn DeLeonardis and Autumn Lass: Kiss Cookies.

New News:

The club raised $209 on March 6 for the Solon Food Cupboard. The club members will be thinking of a possible Educational Exhibit for the Skowhegan Fair. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 9, at 9:30 a.m., at the Solon Fire Station.

I am so very pleased that the Solon Pine Tree Club is still going on for the young people in Solon, it is a wonderful group.

I also received an email from Margaret Chase Smith Library: It was this time a year ago that COVID-19 was beginning to shut down daily life in the United States. Since then we have all had to adapt to the new normal of restricted movement, limited capacity, and social distancing. While we have made progress, and hopefully crested the peak of the pandemic, the library is still operating under restrictions that will once again not make an in-person Maine Town Meeting possible this spring. They will, therefor, use the same format as last spring and offer another Zoom event. They are sticking to the original theme, although in greatly extended form, of using the Maine Bicentennial as a time to assess where the state has come from, where it is now, and where it should be headed in the future. Professor Liam Riordan from the Department of History at the University of Maine laid the groundwork last May with his lecture on Maine’s origins as a state. Next up on Friday, April 9, at 10 a.m., will be Bill Green. Drawing upon his four decades of experience as a broadcast journalist for WLBZ in Bangor and WCSH in Portland.

The final talk in the Maine Bicentennial town meeting series will also be via Zoom on Friday, May 21, at 10 a.m. “Thank you for staying ‘in this together’ through these unprecedented times. While the internet and Zoom have been indispensable tools during the pandemic,” said Director David Richards. They look forward to the day when they can welcome back everyone without the need for contact tracing forms, face masks, and social distancing signage. Now for a short explanation of why I didn’t have a column last week: Lief and I had gone to see if a store had the airplane models that he likes to put together and I had gone with him. There was a long flight of stairs to climb, and I made out just fine, but on the way down, I got to only two or three stairs left, and I don’t know what happened, but I fell, and I have a lot of black and blue places on my body. So I had to spend a few days in the hospital! It is great to be back at home and I’ll try to be wise and stay off stairs, ( for a while.)

My many, many thanks and love go out to all of you who have called or sent get well cards, it means a lot!

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Turkey vultures becoming more and more common in central Maine

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SOAKING THE SUN: This turkey vulture was photographed by Pat Clark, of Palermo, stretching its wings while soaking in the sunshine.

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

I remember as a young boy growing up of going to the “movies” at the old State Theater, on Silver St., in Waterville (now Cancun Restaurant). It was the Saturday kids’ marathon. You would get to the theater at 10 a.m., and probably wouldn’t come out until dark. There were cartoons galore, news reels, several feature films, and even a commercial for popcorn in the lobby. (For 25-cents, you got admission to the theater, a bag of popcorn and soda – and get change back.)

One of the things I remember well, and are still my favorites today, were the old film noir westerns. The films were marked with poor lighting, corny sound effects and acting – but Gene and Roy could sing you a tune, and beat up the bad dudes. Pretty versatile guys to have around.

One scene would always be of a vulture circling overhead, signaling the presence of a corpse, or a carcass of a dead animal near a watering hole, an indication of a poisoned pool.

I had never seen a real vulture. I thought they only existed where the cowboys roamed the western range.

Later in life, around the 1980s, I saw my first real vulture on top of French’s Mountain, in the town of Rome. However, recently I have seen a growing population of the turkey vultures in central Maine. First, on the Nelson Rd., in Vassalboro, and recently on Chase Ave., in Waterville, near the Delta Ambulance headquarters. Last Sunday, I saw four of them in the road.

Its range is from southern Canada to the southermost tip of South America.

Turkey vulture

The turkey vulture, Cathartes aura, or turkey buzzard as it is known in some North American regions, is a scavanger that feeds almost exclusively on carrion. It finds its food using its keen eyes and sense of smell, flying low enough to detect the gasses produced by the beginnings of the process of decay in dead animals. This is an uncommon ability in the avian world. The olfactory lobe of its brain, responsible for processing smells, is particularly large compared to that of other animals. Lacking a syrinx, the vocal organ of birds, its only vocalizations are grunts or low hisses. It nests in caves, hollow trees, or thickets. It has very few natural predators. In the United States, the vulture receives legal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

It is listed as a species of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. Populations appear to be stable, thus has not reached the threshold of inclusion as a threatened species, which requires a decline of more than 30 percent in 10 years or three generations.

In the U.S. it is illegal to take, kill, or possess turkey vultures, their eggs, and any body parts including but not limited to their feathers; violation of the law is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 for individuals or $200,000 for organizations, and/or a prison term of one year.

Turkey vultures appear black from a distance but up close are dark brown with a featherless red head and pale bill. While most of their body and forewing are dark, the undersides of the flight feathers (along the trailing edge and wingtips) are paler, giving a two-toned appearance.

The turkey vulture received its common name from the resemblance of the adult head of a wild turkey, while the name vulture is derived from the Latin word vulturus, meaning “tearer,” and is a reference to its feeding habits.

The wingspan of a turkey vulture is between 63 – 72 inches, has a length of 24 – 32 inches and weighs 1.8 to 5.3 pounds. Northern vulture are generally larger than the ones from its southern range. It is the most abundant vulture in the Americas. The global population of the turkey vulture is estimated to be 4.5 million individuals.

The turkey vulture is gregarious and roosts in large community groups, breaking away to forage independently during the day. It roosts on dead, leafless trees, and will also roost on man-made structures such as water and microwave towers. Though it nests in caves, it does not enter them except during the breeding season. The turkey vulture lowers its night time body temperature to about 93 degrees F, becoming slightly hypothermic.

Turkey vultures are perceived as a threat by farmers due to the similar black vulture’s tendency to attack and kill newborn cattle. Turkey vultures will not kill live animals, but will mix with other flocks of black vultures and will scavenge what they leave behind.

The breeding season varies according to region. In the north, it commences around May and continues into August. They do not lay eggs in a nest, but rather on a bare surface. Females generally lay two eggs, but sometimes one and rarely three. The incubation period lasts between 30 – 40 days. Chicks are helpless at birth. The young fledge at about nine to ten weeks, and family groups will remain together until fall.

Turkey vultures are majestic but unsteady soarers. Their teetering flight with very few wingbeats is characteristic. Look for them gliding relatively low to the ground, sniffing for carrion, or else riding thermals up to higher vantage points. They may soar in small groups and roost in larger numbers. You may also see them on the ground in small groups, huddled around roadkill or dumpsters.

Turkey vultures are common around open areas such as roadsides, suburbs, farm fields, countryside, and food sources such as landfills, trash heaps, and construction sites. On sunny days, look for them aloft as early as 9 a.m.; in colder weather and at night they roost on poles, towers, dead trees, and fence posts.

Thankfully though, they are pretty harmless. Turkey vultures really do only eat dead flesh, so your pets and children are technically safe. When they gather together in trees though, people will often bring their children inside. They also can give people an eerie feeling when they circle overhead.

They have no incentive to attack humans and they lack the physical attributes that could pose a threat. Some vultures will spew projectile vomit as a defense mechanism, which is about the extent of their hostile behavior.

Again, like many other species I have observed, more and more of these critters are beginning to show up in the urban surroundings, where in the past they were only seen in rural areas.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Who is the only NFL quarterback in the Hall of Fame who is left handed?

Answer can be found here.

Roland’s Trivia Question for Thursday, March 18, 2021

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Trivia QuestionsWho is the only NFL quarterback in the Hall of Fame who is left handed?

Answer:

Steve Young, who played for the San Francsico 49ers from 1987-1999.

OBITUARIES for Thursday, March 18, 2021

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BARBARA A. COWAN

WATERVILLE – Barbara Ann Cowan (Gagnon), 83, of Waterville, passed away on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Barbara was born in Waterville in 1937.

She attended St. Johnthe Baptist School, in Winslow, and Mt. Merici Academy, in Waterville, graduating in 1955. She met the love of her life, Darryl Cowan, at the Waterville Morning Sentinel, where she worked for over 30 years as a talented typist, eventually advancing to become the secretary for the general manager.

In 1962, Barbara and Darryl married and began an old-fashioned storybook life together raising six children, whom they cherished. Their deep and enduring love for each other lasted for over 50 years, remaining undiminished after Darryl passed away in 2013.

Barbara enjoyed the simple things in life and made sure that the house was always filled with music, food, love and respect. A loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, her greatest pride was providing for her family and seeing them flourish. Together, Barbara and Darryl instilled the values of honesty, hard work, independence and respect for all into the roots of the family tree. She was a devout Catholic and active member of Sacred Heart and Notre Dame parishes, both in Waterville.

As a young child, Barbara lived with her paternal grandfather, Vede, her paternal grandmother, Bella, her father, Reggie, her aunts, and her dog, Beauty. Barbara’s mother Florette died during childbirth, and Barbara forever longed to meet her in the next life. A deeply spiritual person, Barbara’s faith filled her with the peace that she would be reunited in the Kingdom of God with the special people in her life.

Barbara is survived by her six children, Kelly, Kevin, Keith, Karl, Kenneth, and Kristopher; her eight grandchildren, Savannah, Madeline, Anna, Emily, Michael, Morgan, Samuel, and Eleanor; her two great-grandchildren, Meg and Sonny; and her brother, Roger Gagnon.

She was predeceased by her father, Reggie and mother, Florette; her brother, Robert; her stepmother, Gabrielle; and her great-grandson, Henry.

She will be deeply missed. With a demeanor that was contagious to all who were close to her, Barbie Ann will remain forever in our hearts as someone dearly loved by her family and the many acquaintances she had in her lifetime.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m., on Tuesday, June 29, at Notre Dame Catholic Church, 116 Silver St., Waterville. Burial for Barbara and Darryl will be held after the Mass, at 1 p.m., in the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 163 Mount Vernon Rd., Augusta.

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

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

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Mt Merici Academy in her memory. They can be made at MountMerici.org or Mount Merici Academy, 18 Mount Merici Ave., Waterville, ME 04901.

WARREN N. BERNATCHEZ

WINSLOW – Warren Napoleon Bernatchez, 79, passed away peacefully, on Saturday, February 27, 2021. He was born June 25, 1941, in Waterville, the son of Napoleon “Paul” Bernatchez and Kathrean “Kay” Rumery Bernatchez.

Warren was a hard-working man. His workplaces included Lipman Hatchery, Fred’s Drive-In, cutting and delivering firewood, and 43 years with Thompson Service Station and Thompson Volkswagen, in Waterville. After a short retirement, not being one to sit still, he went back to work for O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, in Winslow.

He enjoyed being on the go. He loved road trips with Carol to the coast, visiting lighthouses, state parks and other scenic sites in Maine, snowmobiling, four wheeling, boating, motorcycles, working with his John Deere tractor, BBQs, family gatherings and spending time with friends. Recently, he noted that he had been in almost every “square” on the Maine DeLorme map, had seen almost every lighthouse, and was looking forward to seeing these places with Carol.

He was a member of the MacCrillis-Rousseau VFW Post #8835, in Winslow, Bourque-Lanigan American Legion Post #5, in Waterville, and the Waterville Elks Lodge #905.

Warren was predeceased by his parents; brothers, Roger, Eddie and Raymond; uncle, Gerald Rumery, aunts, Encie Hobbs and Ardis Shorey; and a great-nephew, Ryan Quirion Guthrie.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Carol Bartlett Bernatchez; sons, Gregory and partner Terrie, Gary, Glenn and wife Mary; daughters, Laurie Bogard and husband Brian, and Rachel Bernatchez; grandchildren, Zach Bernatchez and fiancée Tiffany, Samantha Bernatchez, Alexa Holmes and husband Orlando, Ashley Bernatchez and fiancé PJ, Paige Brown and husband Keron, Adam Bernatchez and partner Mariena, Austin, Alana and Christopher Bogard, Karleigh Marcoux, and Nick Carter and wife Bridgette; great-grandchildren, Aubrey, Colten, Emric, Cara and two baby boys due in April; sisters, June Quirion and husband Roland, Paula Carey and husband John, and Kathy Bernatchez, brother, Cleon “Bob” Bernatchez, sisters-in-law, Karen Bernatchez (Roger) and Christine Bernatchez (Eddie); aunt, Doris Rumery; many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A graveside service and gathering will be planned for this summer.

Arrangements are by Mid Maine Cremation Services 207-453-6006.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Humane Society Waterville Area, 100 Webb Rd., Waterville, ME 04901.

ARTHUR J. PLOURDE

WINSLOW – Arthur Joseph Plourde, 90, passed away of natural causes on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. He was born in Waterville on April 9, 1930, the son of the late Chester and Alberta Martin Plourde.

He married his wife, Jacqueline LaChance Plourde, on August 1, 1953.

Artie, as he was known by his friends, was educated in Winslow and graduated from Winslow High School in 1948. He worked at Keyes Fibre/Hutamaki, in Waterville, for 36 years, retiring in 1992. Following his retirement, Artie and Jackie traveled and spent many winters in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Arthur enjoyed hunting and fishing with friends and family. He was an avid card player and was always up for a friendly, but serious game of cribbage.

Arthur leaves behind Jacqueline, his loving wife of 67 years, who cared for him until the very end; his sons, Daniel and his wife Mariann, of Waterville, James and his wife Diane, of Winslow, Peter and his wife Laurie, of Ebeemee Twp., Stephen and his wife Katie, of Exeter, New Hampshire, and Ronald and his wife Joni, of Sidney; 11 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren; his brothers, Bob and his wife Rita, and Larry and his wife Noella; and his sister, Jeannine Breton; many cousins, nieces, nephews.

Arthur was predeceased by his sisters, Germain Ferland and Jane Gallant, and his brother, Richard Plourde.

There will be no visiting hours. A celebration of Arthur’s life and burial will be held at a later date in the spring.

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

Arrangements are by Lawry Brothers Funeral & Cremation Care, 107 Main St., Fairfield.

ANGEL J. FISETTE

WINDSOR – Angel J. Fisette 53, passed away peacefully Thursday March 4, 2021, following complications from a stroke.

Angel started his life’s journey on the island of Guam in 1967 before moving to the States in 1969. As the oldest sibling in a Navy family, Angel would spend most of his adolescence growing up in Topsham. Angel enjoyed hunting and camping with his family and attended local schools where he discovered his love for football.

After high school Angel found his career at Bath Iron Works, where he would hold a multitude of positions over the next 34 years including welding, and fabricating ships for the nation’s military.

In 2007 Angel would find the love of his life, Deborah Foss, and would ultimately settle down in Windsor.

In his adult years, Angel would be best known for his love of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, his masterful art of Guamanian barbequing, and spending time with the people that he loved. From his annual vacation to Old Orchard Beach to his numerous trips to white sands and blue waters, he could usually be found where the fun was. He was coined by his loved ones as a “gentle giant” and remembered for his loud bark of laugher, his huge smile, and his even bigger heart.

Perhaps his strongest attribute was his resilient bond with all of the children. Whether it was riding on the Funtown Carousel or telling descriptive stories of broken bones from his times as a bouncer, he always kept a smile on their faces as they paid close attention to “The Man, The Myth, The Legend.”

In addition to Deborah Foss, Angel is survived by his parents, John and Rita Fisette, of Topsham; grandchildren, Zachary T. Fisette, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Cody and Shelby Emerson, of West Bath, Aidan and Nadia Fisette, of Bowdoinham, Brookelyn and Bailee Finley, of China, Mathew and Christopher Gilson, of Poland, Jackson Roberts and Waylon Lovely, of Gardiner; his brother, John Fisette and his wife Rachel, of Bowdoinham; his sisters, Gina Emerson and her husband Jeff, of West Bath, Fawn and Ryan Finley, of China, Tonya and Jon Gilson, of Poland, Sarah Roberts and Zach Lovely, of Gardiner; and many nieces and nephews; a very large extended family that stretches across the States and on the Island of Guam.

A walk-through visitation for Angel will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 20, at Daigle Funeral Home, 819 High Street, Bath.

Condolences may be made online at http://www.Daigle funeralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Angel’s honor to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis,TN 38105, or st.jude.org.

CLAIRE LAVIGNE

VASSALBORO – Claire (Brochu) Lavigne, 84, of Riverside Drive, Vassalboro, left this world peacefully on March 4, 2021. Claire was the daughter of Rose and Dorilas Brochu, of Cony Road, Augusta.

Claire was a hard worker, a self-taught seamstress, who never backed down from a challenge and found innovative ways to meet her families’ needs. She enjoyed outdoor sports with her family, including hunting and fishing. She also enjoyed her gardens and her camp on Webber Pond, and spending time with her family and friends.

She worked at the Lockwood-Dutchess Textile Mill, in Waterville, was a self- employed seamstress and worked on the family chicken farm, raising chickens for Lipman Poultry, in Winslow. She also received her C.N.A. certificate later in life and worked as a C.N.A. at Maine Veterans’ Home, in Augusta, and Mount Saint Joseph Nursing Home, in Waterville.

As an aside, she passionately hated the color green!

Claire is survived by her three sons, Denis Wood and his wife Barbara, Lionel Dubord, and Clayton Dubord and his wife Michelle, all of Vassalboro. She also left behind many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her husband Raymond Dubord and brothers Norman Brochu, Robert Brochu, Oneil Brochu, Gerald Brochu, and Rene Brochu; and by a sister Jeanette Clowes.

She leaves behind her husband Normand Lavigne; her siblings, Paul Brochu and his wife Donna, Raymond Brochu and his wife Barbara, Rachel (Brochu) Siviski, Patricia (Brochu) Tanner and her husband Ben, and Richard Brochu.

A celebration of her life will be held later this summer.

GREGORY J. BICKFORD

WATERVILLE – Gregory Jon Bickford, 63, from Greenbush and Waterville, passed away peacefully at his home on Friday, March 5, 2021. He was born to Mahlon and Darlene (White) Bickford on May 15, 1957, in Mildenhall, England.

He attended Lawrence High School, in Fairfield. He served in the U.S. Navy for four years as a jet mechanic, and following his Naval service, graduated from Central Maine Vocational-Technical Institute, in Auburn, with a degree in machine tool, and later attended University of Maine at Orono. He worked as a millwright at James River Paper Mill, in Old Town, from 1984 until the mill closed. He worked at BAC and finished his career as a machinist at General Electric, in Bangor.

He loved spending time with his family, playing games and telling his inexhaustible supply of stories. He could captivate a crowd with his humor and enthusiasm that kept even the old stories new with fresh embellishment at each telling. Greg loved to “tweak” all things which to him meant taking something perfectly good and make it perfectly ‘best’. He was an avid reader and thinker on all subjects. He loved his loyal friend Todd the cat who stayed by his side until the end.

He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Linda (Marin) Bickford; his mother, Darlene; his daughter, Allison; daughter-in-law Becky Deschaine; grandchildren, Haddie and Eli; his siblings, Jodi Dean, Gracie Gillis, Carlton (Grace) Bickford and Ruthie Bickford; his friend that was like a brother, Jimmy (Debbie) Grant; numerous in-laws, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins.

He was predeceased by his father, Mahlon.

Arrangements are being handled by Riposta Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

EUGENE P. BOULETTE

WATERVILLE – Eugene “Gene” Paul Boulette, 82, passed away on Saturday March 6, 2021, in his home, in Waterville. He was born December 18, 1938, to Violette and Joseph Sheehan, and Fred Boulette. After serving in the United States Navy, Gene married Mary Paradis in 1960, and raised their three children in Waterville. Until the very end of his life, Gene filled the world with messages of love and gratitude, especially for the love of his life, Mary.

For the last three decades of his life, Gene lived with the name he chose for himself, “Pappy”, a title reserved not just for his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, but friends, neighbors, and all those who had the pleasure to know him. And for those whose lives he touched, Pappy, standing little more than five feet tall, loomed larger than life.

He moved to the shores of McGrath Pond, in Oakland, and built his own log home; fixed anything with wheels; and whittled, worked, or built anything he or his grandchildren could imagine – motorcycles, firetrucks, make-believe weapons, hundred-foot waterslides, even a Batmobile.

For his grandchildren especially, Pappy became the hero of every bedtime story, the source of a thousand adventures, and a model of humility, generosity, and love. Through countless small gestures he reminded us all of our loveliness and the loveliness of life.

Gene is survived by his wife, Mary; three children, Jamie Boulette (Melissa), of Arrowsic, Brigitte Massey and her husband Scott, of Waterville, and Peter Boulette (Aaron), of Waterville; seven grandchildren, Michael Boulette (Tyler Davis), Arielle Boulette (Nick Black), John Massey (Katie Woodworth), Katy Deblois (Nick), Lauren McCabe (John), Adan Lawlor, and Zachary London; and eight great-grandchildren, Harriet Davis-Boulette, Frances Davis-Boulette, Neely Davis-Boulette, Liam Black, Quincy Black, Oliver Woodworth, Madeleine Massey, and Jack Massey.

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

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

ARNOLD W. GRARD

WATERVILLE – Arnold Wilson Grard, 85, of Fairfield, died Saturday, March 6, 2021. He was born in Fairfield on December 9, 1935, the son of George William Sr. and Maude (Bowden) Grard.

Arnold grew up in Fairfield and was a 1954 graduate of Lawrence High School, where he excelled at football and baseball. He married the former Virginia May Roundy on August 3, 1957, with whom he shared 63 years of marriage.

Arnold was no stranger to hard work, retiring from Keyes Fibre Company (Huhtamaki), in Waterville, in 1998, after a 44-year career.

Arnold was a jokester and loved making people laugh. He was an avid sports fan and loved his New York Giants. Arnold’s greatest joy was cheering (coaching from the sidelines) for his grandchildren at sporting events and spending summers camping and fishing in the north woods of Maine with his family and friends.

Arnold was a fixture on the sidelines at Lawrence Bulldog football, basketball, and baseball games. He found great enjoyment for many years volunteering as a coach for the Fairfield PAL Youth Football league, where he made a difference in the lives of many kids in the community.

In addition to his wife Virginia, Arnold is survived by his children, Janet Grard, James Grard; his grandchildren, Brandon Ludden, Evan Grard and Jordan Grard; his great-grandchild, Dillon Ludden; his sisters, Dorothy Trahan, Lorraine Buker, and Linda Rogers; and his brother, Rick Grard.

He was predeceased by his brothers, George Grard Jr., Hervey Grard, and sister Marion Fann.

In honoring Arnold’s wishes there will be a graveside service in Maplewood Cemetery, in Fairfield, in the Spring.

Arrangements are in the care of the Lawry Brothers Funeral & Cremation Care, 107 Main St., Fairfield, where condolences may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the website at http://www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.com.

CHARLES F. CLARK

SOUTH CHINA – Charles F. “Charley” Clark passed away peacefully in his sleep at home on Monday, March 8, 2021. Charley was born on May 21, 1953 in Waterville, the son of Evelyn (Waltz) Clark and Francis Mavor Clark

Charley’s life was devoted to steadfast service to his family and community. He was devoted to his wife for 45 years. He was committed to his career and long-time co-workers and customers at Ware-Butler, Inc., in Waterville, where he worked for 35 years. He was dedicated to public service through his work on the Town of China Planning Board and School Board where he served as board chairman for 20 years, and also as a board member of Sunset Home, in Waterville.

He was a member of the A. F. & A. M. Lodge #45 as well as the Anah Shrine Temple. Finally, Charley found service, comfort, and healing among the countless Friends of Bill W., who he knew for more than 38 years.

He is survived by his wife Susan (Rand) Clark, of South China; son Matthew E. Clark and his wife Jessica, of Vassalboro; his grandson Keegan Clark, also of Vassalboro; his brother, Robert Clark, of Bangor,; sisters, Judy (Clark) Fortin and her husband Dennis, of Manchester, and Lynne (Clark) Estes and her husband Michael, of Hermon; his brother Paul Clark and partner Kathy Wallace, of Albion; as well as many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents; his sister-in-law, Patricia Clark; and his special auntie, Helen Waltz.

Visiting hours will be held on Saturday, March 20, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., at Plummer Funeral Home, 983 Ridge Rd., Windsor.

A Masonic Service will immediately follow the visitation.

Condolences, stories and photos may be shared at http://www.plummerfh.com.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Old Dogs New Digs, P.O. Box 244, Cumberland, ME 04021.

CHARLES L. BROWN

WHITEFIELD – Charles L. Brown, 85, of Whitefield, died peacefully Monday, March 8, 2021, at the Gosnell Hospice House, in Scarborough. He was born in Mexico, Maine, on October 3, 1935, the son of Alfred and Nona (Fogg) Brown.

Charles was employed by Hudson Pulp and Paper, and then Statler Tissue, in Augusta, until they closed. He then went to work as a van drive for the Dresden school system for a few years and then fully retired.

He was predeceased by his parents; great- granddaughter, Evelyn Rose; seven brothers, Neil, Darrell, George, Austin, Gerald, Donald, Alton Brown, and sister, Norma Brown.

Charles is survived by three sons, Craig and Richard Brown, David Brown and wife Lois; daughter Shari Bowden and husband Bradley; sister Arlen Geddes; six grandchildren, Trisha, Robbie, Deanna, Tobey, Heather, and Travis; seven great-grandchildren, Tyler, Alexis, Thomas, Nolan, Skyler, Zane, and Lily; and several nieces and nephews.

At his request there will be no service and burial will take place at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery, in Augusta

Arrangements are entrusted through Staples Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 53 Brunswick Ave., Gardiner, Maine.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the Staples Funeral Home website: http://www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.com.

BETTY J. O’KEEFE

NORTH VASSALBORO – Betty J. O’Keefe, 91, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at Northern Light Inland Hospital, in Waterville. She was born on August 12, 1929, in Auburn, the daughter of the late Jesse Ormond Philbrick and Lillian Grace Furbush Lovejoy.

She attended Buckfield Elementary School and Augusta schools. Betty married Donald O’Keefe, of North Vassalboro, and the couple enjoyed many wonderful years together until his passing in 2019.

Betty worked various jobs in Augusta. Once she was married she worked at Volmer’s Nursing Home, in East Vassalboro, and then devoted her life as a homemaker.

Betty’s passion in life was music and dancing. She danced with an instructor from Arthur Murray Dance Studios, from Boston. He picked her out as she was dancing with a friend and doing her special dance steps that he took notice. He then asked her to dance with him to show him her dance steps that she called the “Augusta Hop”. He told her that he was going to take it back to the dance studio in Boston. He invited her to stop in if she was in Boston for an audition. That was a memory she cherished.

She was predeceased by three sisters, June Brewer, Nancy Meager, and Shirley Johnson, and her brother, Robert “Bobbie” Philbrick.

Betty will be sadly missed by her son, Tommy O’Keefe, of North Vassalboro; her daughter, Jeannie O’Keefe, of North Vassalboro; her grandson, Ryan O’Keefe, of North Vassalboro; her sister, Carol Scalora, of Kensington, Connecticut; her half-brother, John Lovejoy, of New Hartford, Connecticut; and many nieces and nephews.

A graveside service will be announced at a later date in the spring.

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

Arrangements are by Lawry Brothers Funeral & Cremation Care, 107 Main St., Fairfield.

RODNEY R. SPEAR

SIDNEY – Rodney R. Spear, 41, of Sidney, died peacefully the morning of Wednesday, March 10, 2021. He was born in Augusta, February 18, 1980, the son of Mark Spear and Beth Chapman (Kelley).

Rodney was a graduate from Monmouth Academy class of 2000. Rodney went on to proudly serve two tours in the Coast Guard from 2000 to 2004 as well as 2006 to 2010, reaching the rank of Gunners Mate Second Class.

Whatever Rodney did, he excelled. Rodney loved water sports and he was an athletic water skier who could cut across the boat’s wake with incredible speed and grace. On a snowmobile, he was a daredevil who got every ounce of speed out of his sled and would jump snowbanks like a snow-cross racer. Whether on the water or on the snow, a day with Rodney was a day filled with adventure and fun.

Wherever Rodney’s adventures took him, he established and continued amazing friendships, brotherhoods and sisterhoods that have lasted a lifetime. Rodney’s continuous love for all things outside, being on the water and especially things that go fast and make noise led him to work in a few local boat shops before climbing the ladder fast at Bath Iron Works.

After taking cancer full on in 2017, he remained steadfast at his job for another year, even though his body had other ideas. Rodney never let a challenge stop him when it came to work, having fun, living life and loving people. So he decided to live his dream and become a first time small business owner and started RentMe Recreation, where he got to play on the water and continue to work hard at having fun while, still enjoying the time he had with his family and friends. Rodney always made moments count and he wanted to share that as much as possible with everyone, especially his son Oliver.

Rodney is survived by his fiancée, Jillian Tilton; his son, Oliver Spear; his stepsons, Thomas and Cooper LaPlante; his father, Mark Spear and his fiancée Susan Brochu, of Readfield; his mother, Beth Kelley and her husband Alan, of West Gardiner; his sister Brooke Quirion and her husband Jesse, of West Gardiner; stepsister Tori Ladd and her husband Jason, of Readfield; his grandparents, Richard and Kathleen Chapman, of West Gardiner; and his aunts, uncles; nieces and nephews.

A graveside service will be held at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery Niches. Arrangements are in the care of Knowlton and Hewins Funeral Home, One Church St. Augusta.

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

ARVILLE FANN

ALBION – Arville “Larry” Fann, also called “Reb”, 88, passed away in Waterville on March 11, 2021. He was born August 28, 1932 to William and Edna (Walker) Fann.

He was raised in and around Elkville, Marion, and DuQuion, Illinois. At the age of 17 he joined the Army, serving in Germany, then in Korea in the Infantry, 2nd Army. He was wounded and received a Purple Heart in November 1952. Stateside, he was stationed in New York City and on a “pass” he came to Maine, met the love of his life, and married the former Marion B. Grard, of Shawmut, in 1954, moving to Maine following his discharge.

He was predeceased by her in 1996. In 1999 he married Alice (Schools) Weaver, and they have enjoyed many happy years traveling together and sharing time with their children and grandchildren.

Larry loved hunting, fishing, the outdoors and dancing. He loved wood crafting and gardening, but his greatest passion was his love of life and people, especially his family.

He is survived by his wife, Alice; his children, Larry Wayne Fann, of Albion, Michael S. Fann and his wife Roseanne, of North Dakota, and his daughter, Angela Weaver and her husband Michael L. Weaver, of Louisiana, and Allen Weaver Jr. and his wife Kim, of Belfast; his grandchildren, Stephen, Christopher and his wife Iris, Michael Allen, and his granddaughter, Ashlee; one great-grandchild, Caellum; several siblings of Illinois; and extended family members.

He was predeceased by his son and dear friend, David Fann in 2015; and infant grandchildren.

A funeral service, with military honors, was held at Riposta Funeral Home, 182 Waldo Ave., Belfast, on Tuesday, March 16.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at http://www.ripostafh.com

Those who wish may make donations to American Legion Post #2, 7 Legion Drive, Augusta, ME 04330.

China selectmen move quickly through short meeting

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by Mary Grow

At a short March 15 meeting, China selectmen:

  • Elected Wayne Chadwick acting chairman in Ronald Breton’s absence;
  • Held a public hearing, which drew comments only from board members, on the proposed Ordinance Restricting Vehicle Weight on Posted Ways, modeled on the state ordinance;
  • Adopted the ordinance, which applies while roads are posted in the spring; and
  • Appointed Alaina Murray to the Recreation Committee.

Town Manager Becky Hapgood delivered monthly reports from town departments, including her notice that the audit report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2020, is available and will be posted on the town website, china.govoffice.com.

Hapgood issued reminders from Town Clerk Angela Nelson that the second half payment of local taxes is due by the close of business Friday, March 26; and from assessor’s assistant Kelly Grotton that applications for legally-allowed tax exemptions must be filed before April 1.

She reported that Central Church, on Route 3, has offered to welcome meetings, like the board of selectmen’s, in its meeting room when more space is needed. The town office and the church will cooperate on an Easter egg drive-through at the town office the morning of Friday, March 27, she said.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 29.