I’M JUST CURIOUS: I’m back!

by Debbie Walker

I am back! This was the longest I have ever been sick with anything and it was NOT Covid. It was a really nasty flu that lasted weeks. What I didn’t realize, I was so making things worse. It was one of those deals you are too sick to even try to see a doctor and too stubborn to go when my daughter wanted to take me (I have learned a lesson). Just too sick to want to move.

What I wasn’t even thinking about, nor anyone else, was my prescription medications. That is how to “add insult to injury” of a situation. I really made myself much sicker for longer.

I learned not to be so stubborn (stupid) and realize the daughter very often is smarter than the mother. I also learned that someone else should always know your medication routine. I would suggest giving someone dependable a paper that has all your medication information. How you take each and when. Name of doctor and phone number for each one. These plans before any illness may save a life someday. You can consider this my latest PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT.

The day before I got sick, May 2, Twodles (Two doodles) birthday party for my great-granddaughter. What a “splash”, literally! There was a bounce house and water slides for all different skill levels! It was quite a day! I loved watching Addi learning what to do in a bounce house.

Twodle’s I learned is the second birthday Mickey and Mini Mouse style (her latest favorites). Mickey, Mini and the show is all very different from what I remember years ago. You have to watch to believe.

Miss Addison Grace is now two years old with an amazing vocabulary. You can have a real conversation. Amazing. Numbers, colors, animals, alphabet and loves books! (I hope to remember to put in a picture.)

As soon as I could fly I got a flight and came to Maine for recuperating at a good friend’s cottage on Unity Lake. It has been wonderful, the weather perfect I have been visited by many friends and family.

My sister and brother-in-law brought up everything necessary for a clam boil for lunch one day. He had dug the clams and he did all the cooking! What a way to get pampered!!

One Saturday morning, I read a children’s story to little ones at the library in Unity. I love to dress in some silly outfit for the reading. It is fun watching the kids, ages 3 -6 years old, reactions as I read them some funny story. I think they enjoyed as much as I did.

Fireworks! While everyone was hunting for fireworks to watch, I had my own private showing at the cottage. Cottages on the other side provided me with the entertainment! I had the best view, from inside and no fighting off mosquitoes. It was great!

It’s back to Florida this week for me. I have been up here for well over a month and I want to get back while Addi still remembers who I am. I hope you had and continue to have a wonderful summer. Here comes fall!

Thank you all for letting me know you missed me. Contact me with questions or comments at DebbieWalker@townline.org. Thanks for reading!

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Sir Malcolm Sargent

Jacqueline Du Pré

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Sir Malcolm Sargent

Sir Malcolm Sargent

Sir Malcolm Sargent (1895-1967) conducted a huge number of fine recordings from the 1930s to not long before he died in 1967.

Ones that particularly stand out are a 78 set of a Vieuxtemps 5th Violin Concerto with Jascha Heifetz from the early 1930s and their stereo remake in 1961 coupled with one very beautiful performance of Max Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, itself highly recommended as a piece for newcomers to classical music.

Sargent also conducted violinist Ruggiero Ricci in two different and very distinguished recordings of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, one in 1951 and a stereo remake ten years later.

He collaborated with violinist Albert Sammons in a wonderful 1940s 78 set of Frederick Delius’s evocative Violin Concerto and, during the 1960s, with the renowned Jacqueline Du Pré (1945-1987) in the same composer’s Cello Concerto.

Sargent recorded the complete Handel’s Messiah 4 times – in 1946 for Columbia, in 1955 and 1959 for Angel and in 1965 for Reader’s Digest. He conducted live performances annually for decades. In addition to the four different sets, I have his 1932 Victor 78 of two choruses from the oratorio .

Sargent was gifted as a conductor of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas such as HMS Pinafore and the Mikado. His 1930s set of all five Beethoven Piano Concertos with Artur Schnabel (1882-1951) was the first complete one with that pianist’s interpretive wizardry as a performance standard difficult to equal.

Sir Malcolm became popular as the conductor of the annual London Proms concerts, replacing Sir Henry Wood (1869-1944) in 1947 until his own death in 1967, when he was suéceeded by Sir Colin Davis (1927-2013).

Sir Thomas Beecham

Sargent and his good friend, the conductor Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961), would often meet for lunch and ex­changed gossip about their romantic escapades; because of Sargent’s taste for expensive clothes, Beecham referred to him as Flash Harry.

Although singers and soloists enjoyed working with him, orchestral players had issues with Sargent’s arrogance and general disregard for their well-being, especially with tenure. Several friends considered him a “cad” and “bounder ” while his own son was estranged from him for years.

Because of the earlier-mentioned philandering, one woman warned her friends never to take a cab with the Maestro.

Sargent’s health declined during his last years due to pancreatic cancer but he did a successful guest concert with the Chicago Symphony a few months before his death.

Many of Sargent’s recordings and broadcasts can be heard via YouTube.

LEGAL NOTICES for Thursday, July 21, 2022

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
COURT ST.,
SKOWHEGAN, ME
SOMERSET, ss
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
18-A MRSA sec. 3-801

The following Personal Representatives have been appointed in the estates noted. The first publication date of this notice JULY 14, 2022 If you are a creditor of an estate listed below, you must present your claim within four months of the first publication date of this Notice to Creditors by filing a written statement of your claim on a proper form with the Register of Probate of this Court or by delivering or mailing to the Personal Representative listed below at the address published by his name, a written statement of the claim indicating the basis therefore, the name and address of the claimant and the amount claimed or in such other manner as the law may provide. See 18-C M.R.S.A. §3-80.

2022-204 – Estate of KENNETH MICHAEL DESISLES SR, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Kenneth Michael Des Isles Jr., 2 Briardale Ct., Columbus, NJ 08022 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-097 – Estate of RICHARD J. WATERS III, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Callie Ann Soule, 39 Spring Street, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-206 – Estate of KATHERINE ANN EMERY, late of Norridgewock, Me deceased. Melissa C. Emery, 13 Sunrise Drive, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-207 – Estate of LIESELOTTE R. CROWELL, late of Hartland, Me deceased. Eric A. Crowell, 1066 Beans Corner Road, Hartland, Me 04943 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-211 – Estate of BENJAMIN DAY STERN, late of Rockwood, Me deceased. Bette Day Stern, 614 Storrs Road, Mansfield, CT 06250 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-215 – Estate of BETTY ANN SHORETTE, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. David J. Shorette, PO Box 248, Scarborough, ME 04070 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-218 – Estate of LINDA J. HURD, late of Anson, Me deceased. Howard Hurd, PO Box 181, Anson, Me 04911 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-144 – Estate of JAMES C. IRELAND, late of Madison, Me deceased. Jeffrey Ireland, 10 Bean Street, Madison, Me 04950 and Stephen Ireland, 95 Madison Road, Norridgewock, Me 04957 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2022-220 – Estate of JOHN N. COLLINS, late of Madison, Me deceased. Jennifer Hight, PO Box 854, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-222 – Estate of JOSEPH A. COLOMBO, JR., late of North Anson, Me deceased. Karen A. Colombo, PO ox 313, North Anson, Me 04958 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-223 – Estate of PATRICIA A. AMES, late of Canaan, Me deceased. Cindy L. Clarke, 112 Hinckley Road, Canaan, Me 04924 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-229 – Estate of FREDERICK B. VOGEL, JR., late of Starks, Me deceased. Jennifer L. Vogel, 253 Mayhew Road, Starks, Me 04911 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-174 – Estate of RICHARD E. OLIVER, late of Starks, Me deceased. Adrian B. Harris, 124 Davis Road, Farmington, Me 04938 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-234 – Estate of TODD A. BROWN, late of St. Albans, Me deceased. Jennifer A. Brown, 351 Nokomis Road, St. Albans, ME 40971 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-235 – Estate of MARGARET M. MERRILL, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Virginia K. Rolfe, 38 Exeter River Landing, Exeter, NH 03833 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-236 – Estate of CECIL THEODORE BRIDGER, late of Canaan, Me deceased. Drew Bridger, 65 Pirate Lane, Fairfield, Me 04937 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-237 – Estate of DEANNA GILBLAIR, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. James Provost, 61 McClellan Street, Skowhegan, Me 04976 and Debora Barter, 10 Sandy Lane, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2022-238 – Estate of ROSWELL L. CROCKER, late of North Anson, Me deceased. Angela Holbrook, 193 Adams Circle, Farmington, Me 04938 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-241 – Estate of ROGER E. THIBODEAU, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Lorenzo Naranjo, jr., 48 St. Mark Street, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

To be published on July 14 & 21, 2022.

Dated July 11, 2022, 2022
/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(7/21)

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
41 COURT ST.
SOMERSET, ss
SKOWHEGAN, ME
PROBATE NOTICES

TO ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN ANY OF THE ESTATES LISTED BELOW

Notice is hereby given by the respective petitioners that they have filed petitions for appointment of personal representatives in the following estates or change of name. These matters will be heard at 1 p.m. or as soon thereafter as they may be on JULY 27, 2022. The requested appointments or name changes may be made on or after the hearing date if no sufficient objection be heard. This notice complies with the requirements of 18-C MRSA §3-403 and Probate Rule 4.

2022-190 – Estate of KADENCE QUINCY ADVENTURE MICHAEL FOSTER. Petition for Change of Name (adult) file by Kadence Quincy Adventure Michael Foster, 41 G Savage Street, Apt 3, Fairfield, Me 04937 requesting name be changed to Kip Quincy Foster for reasons set forth therein.

2022-195 – Estate of ELIZABETH MARIE QUIMBY. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Elizabeth Marie Quimby, 12 Easler Drive, Norridgewock, Me 04957 requesting name be changed to Elizabeth Marie Easler for reasons set forth therein.

2022-199 – Estate of HALEY ELIZABETH SURETTE. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Haley Elizabeth Surette, 64 Timberview Dr., Skowhegan, Me 04976 requesting her name be changed to Haley Elizabeth Gray for reasons set forth therein.

2022-095 – Estate of TRAPPER SARY HOFFMAN BISHIP, minor of Norridgewock, Me. Petition for Change of Name (Minor) filed by petitioner Ada Webb, 257 Walker Road, Norridgewock, Me 04957 requesting that minor’s name be changed to Trapper Hoffman Webb for reasons set forth therein.

SPECIAL NOTICE: This notice is especially directed to John Bishop, father of minor, of address currently unknown; last known address being 2 Harding Way, Waterville, Me.

2022-128 – Estate of KINSLEY A. ROBBINS. Petition for Appointment of Guardian (Minor) filed by Kaylene Robbins, 328 Town Farm Road, Anson, Me 04911 requesting Sirena Greenlaw be appointed guardian.

SPECIAL NOTICE: This notice is directed to UNKNOWN FATHER who is of UNKNOW ADDRESS.

2022-208 – Estate of SUMMER ELISE CUCHELO. Petition for Change of Name (Minor) filed by Adriane Cuchelo and Seth Roundy, 166 Waverly Avenue, Pittsfield, Maine 04967 requesting the minors name be changed to Summer Elise Roundy for reasons set forth therein.

2022-208 – Estate of AUDREY ROSE CUCHELO. Petition for Change of Name (Minor) filed by Adriane Cuchelo and Seth Roundy, 166 Waverly Avenue, Pittsfield, Maine 04967 requesting the minors name be changed to Audrey Rose Roundy\ for reasons set forth therein.

2022-212 – Estate of JOHN JULICH, adult of Palmyra, ME. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by John Lee Julich, 347 Warren Hill Road, Palmyra, ME 04965 requesting his name be changed to Sohrab Keza Boldaji for reasons set forth therein.

Dated: July 11, 2022
/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(7/21)

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
COUNTY OF SOMERSET
SKOWHEGAN, MAINE
Docket No. AA-0203-1
AA-0204-1

In Re: Baylon Jared Walther
Grant Paul Walther
Minor Child

ORDER FOR SERVICE BY PUBLICATION

The cause came to be heard on the Motion for Service by Publication by Petitioners, Micah and Autum Cram, 117 Porter Road, Skowhegan, ME 04976, for service by publication upon TROY WALTHER, pursuant to Maine Rule of Civil Procedure 4(g) and Rule of Probate Procedure 4(e)(2), and it appearing that this is an action for Termination of Parental Rights brought by the Petitioners Micah and Autum Cram against TROY WALTHER; and that TROY WALTHER cannot, with due diligence, be served by any other prescribed method, and that the address of TROY WALTHER is not known and cannot be ascertained by reasonable diligence, and it is ORDERED that the Petition to Terminate Parental Rights be heard before this Court at 41 Court Street, Skowhegan, ME on AUGUST 10, 2022, at 1 P.M., or as soon thereafter as it can be heard, and it is ORDERED that TROY WALTHER appear and defend the cause and file a written response to the Petition by delivering it in person or by mailing it to the Office of the Register of Probate, 41 Court Street, Skowhegan, ME 04976, and by mailing a copy thereof to the Petitioners at their said address on or before AUGUST 10, 2022, 1 P.M.

IMPORTANT WARNING: IF YOU FAIL TO FILE A RESPONSE WITHIN THE TIME STATED ABOVE, OR IF, AFTER YOU FILE YOUR RESPONSE, YOU FAIL TO APPEAR AT ANY TIME THE COURT NOTIFIES YOU TO DO SO, A JUDGMENT MAY, IN YOUR ABSENCE, BE ENTERED AGAINST YOU FOR THE RELIEF REQUESTED. IF YOU DO NOT FILE A RESPONSE, YOU MUST FILE A WRITTEN APPEARANCE WITH THE CLERK IF YOU WISH TO BE HEARD. IF YOU INTEND TO OPPOSE THE PETITION DO NOT FAIL TO ANSWER WITHIN THE REQUIRED TIME.

AN ORDER TERMINATING TROY WALTHER’S PARENTAL RIGHTS WILL DIVEST SAID TROY WALTHER, BAYLON JARED WALTHER AND GRANT PAUL WALTHER OF ALL LEGAL RIGHT, POWERS, PRIVILEGES, IMMUNITIES, DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS TO EACH OTHER AS PARENT AND CHILD, EXCEPT THE INHERITANCE RIGHTS BETWEEN THE CHILD AND HIS/HER PARENT. FURTHERMORE, TROY WALTHER SHALL NOT BE ENTITLED TO NOTICE OF THE CHILD’S ADOPTION PROCEEDINGS, NOR SHALL HE HAVE ANY RIGHT TO OBJECT OR PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCEEDINGS, AND SAID ORDER SHALL HAVE ALL OTHER EFFECTS SET FORTH IN 22 M.R.S.A. §4056.

If you believe you have a defense to the Petition, or if you believe you have a claim of your own against the Petitioners, you should talk to a lawyer. If you feel you cannot afford to pay a fee to a lawyer, you may ask the office of the Register of Probate, at 41 Court Street, Skowhegan, ME 04976 or any other Register of Probate, for information as to places where you may seek legal assistance.

It is further ORDERED that this Order be published in The Town Line, a weekly newspaper published in South China, Maine, once a week for three (3) successive weeks.

Dated: June 29, 2022
/s/ Robert Washburn,
Judge of Probate

A true copy of the original
Attest: /s/ Victoria M. Hatch
Register of Probate
(7/28)

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Natural resources – Part 3

Augusta House

by Mary Grow

Three brick and granite buildings in Augusta

Attentive readers will have noted that the previous discussions of brickyards and brick-making have omitted the two cities in the central Kennebec Valley, Augusta and Waterville. Your writer deliberately saved them for last, because they have so many buildings of brick and granite as to deserve extra space.

In James North’s detailed history of Augusta, the first mention of a brickyard is in a list of businesses active in August 1792 in what was then Hallowell. There were no brickyards in the northern part of town, which after February 1797 became a separate town named Augusta.

In the southern area called the Hook, which remained Hallowell, Samuel and Phillip Norcross owned buildings, two quarter-acre house lots and “brickyard, lime kiln and earthen ware kiln.” Their total property was valued at 50 pounds, one of the town’s smaller businesses.

Samuel Norcross (Oct. 18, 1729 – Dec. 1, 1800) was the oldest of five sons of Philip and Sarah (Jackson) Norcross); his brother Phillip (1732 -?) was next oldest.

An on-line genealogy says Samuel was born in Newton, Massachusetts, where in 1752 he married Mary Wiswall. The first seven of their “at least 14” children, starting with Samuel II and Philip, were born in Massachusetts.

The family evidently came to Maine in 1762 or 1763, because the genealogy lists the seven youngest children as Mary, born in 1763 in Hallowell; Hannah, born in 1764 in Lincoln; Nathaniel, born in June 1764 in Gardiner; Sarah, born in 1766 (no place of birth listed, but in 1786 she married in Pittston); Thankful, born in 1767, in Gardiner; Susannah, born May 10, 1769, in Gardiner; and Elizabeth, born in Lincoln in 1769.

(Hannah and Elizabeth do not fit, biologically or geographically. Perhaps Hannah and Elizabeth are listed in this family in error; or perhaps Samuel kept a second family?)

The same on-line genealogy has no information about Phillip except that he remained in Newton for “about 18 years.” Another on-line source is an 1803 court record of the Kennebec Proprietors (the inheritors of British land grants who continued to claim land rights for generations) filing an action of ejectment against Phillip Norcross and others of Hallowell, in Kennebec County Supreme Judicial Court in September 1803. The Phillip Norcross born in 1732 would have been 71 by then.

North wrote that the Norcross’ house, brickyard and kilns were “at the north end of Water street” in Hallowell, “just south of the present railroad crossing.” The family also ran a nearby ferry across the Kennebec “for many years.”

There must have been other brick-making businesses in the northern part of Hallowell, because North recorded that at the first town meeting in Augusta, on March 13, 1797, voters chose among their town officials two “Inspectors of Lime and Brick,” Henry Sewall and Daniel Foster.

About 1804, North wrote, Lombardy poplars were planted on both sides of State Street from Bridge Street “to the brickyard at the southerly end of Grove street.” (Your writer found one map that identifies Grove Street as the roadway between the rotary at the west end of Kennebec Memorial Bridge and the south end of Water Street; other maps call this stretch Water Street.)

Augusta’s first brick schoolhouse went up in the spring of 1804, according to North (and to Captain Charles E. Nash, who “borrowed” North’s information for his chapters on Augusta in Kingsbury’s Kennebec County history), on the northwest side of the intersection of State and Bridge streets. It was also Augusta’s first grammar school (offering classes more advanced than primary schools); the building burned down March 16, 1807.

Readers with unusually good memories will remember that most of the commercial buildings on Water Street, in Augusta, are on the National Register of Historic Places (see the February 2021 issues of The Town Line). Some are listed individually; some are part of the Water Street Historic District. Almost all are brick; and they are not the buildings described in the following paragraphs, but their successors, built after the great fire of Sept. 17, 1865.

Merchants whom North identified as “Robinson & Crosby” built the first brick stores in 1806, two together in a block on the north corner of Market Square on the river side. In 1811, Joshua Gage, Bartholomew Nason and Benjamin Whitwell built a second block of three stores nearby.

North added that all five stores were closed temporarily in 1813, as a result of the economic slump caused by the dispute between Britain and the United States that led first to a United States embargo on trade and then to the War of 1812.

These brick store buildings had what North called “old-fashioned brick fronts,” featuring “heavy wooden door and window shutters,” hinged and locked with diagonal iron bars. By 1833, the new fashion was “granite posts and lintels.”

Seven new brick stores were added on Water Street in 1835, five at the north end and two farther south. None survived the 1865 fire.

Brick was also used, along with stone, in the Augusta jail that was built after an inmate burned down the wooden one on March 16, 1808. North wrote that prisoners were held in a very insecure temporary jail while a two-story building was built “of large blocks of rough hammered stone fastened together with iron dowels.”

This building, finished in December 1808, “was connected, by a brick ell, with a two story square brick jail house” at the intersection of State and Winthrop streets. The brick building was standing when North finished his history in 1870, but had been supplanted as a jail by a larger stone building, completed in 1859.

In 1812, owners of the newly-chartered Kennebec Bank had a brick building put up on Court Street. This building served as a bank for four years, then as a house; North wrote that it was torn down when the county courthouse was enlarged in 1851.

In 1813, Kennebec County officials, concerned about keeping paper records in the wooden county courthouse, had a brick building with “four fire proof vaults” built nearby. With brick floors, brick partitions and iron doors on the vaults, it was assumed safe; but, North wrote, when it was replaced years later, county officials were surprised to find wooden floors under the vaults, so that “the building could not have burned without consuming the contents of the vaults.”

The Augusta House on State Street, a leading hotel for many years, was built of brick and opened Jan. 31, 1831. Among its guests, according to Nash, were General Winfield Scott, who stayed about three weeks in the spring of 1839 during the Aroostook War (see The Town Line, March 17, 2022); and President Ulysses S. Grant, who visited with his family on Aug. 3, 1865, and was entertained at a state dinner at the hotel.

The Augusta House was enlarged substantially during the Civil War. On-line postcards from 1912 and 1938 show a six-story building on an above-ground granite foundation. The main door in the center of the front veranda is protected by a two-story portico supported by columns. Another on-line source says the hotel was closed and torn down in 1973.

On June 7, 1833, the Citizens’ Bank opened in its new brick building at the intersection of Oak and Water streets, in the middle of downtown. This was a three-story building, North said; the bank had the back rooms on the second floor, jeweler Benjamin Swan and dry-goods merchant G. G. Wilder shared the street floor, and the Kennebec Journal newspaper, founded in 1825, had its office on the top floor.

Another brick schoolhouse was erected in the summer of 1835 to house Augusta’s first high school. Located at the intersection of State and Bridge streets, not far from the site of the earlier brick grammar school, the building cost $7,000. North (and Nash) wrote that it was two stories high, 65-by-50-feet, with four Doric columns supporting the front pediment.

Owned by a group of corporators, the school briefly did well; but after the first head teacher moved on, it began to fail and after 1848 the building served as a public high school for the surrounding school district.

Residents must have approved of two-story brick schoolhouses, because North and Nash recorded several more built in Augusta school districts in the 1840s and 1850s, and Nash added a “large four-room” one, Cushnoc Heights Grammar School, built in 1890 at the intersection of Franklin and Oxford streets, partway up Sand Hill at the north end of the city.

The Winthrop Street Universalist Church, started with a June 19, 1867, cornerstone laying and dedicated March 5, 1868, was “built of brick laid in colored mortar,” North wrote. The building was 80-by-61-feet, with 33-foot-high walls; on the southwest corner was a 55-foot tower enclosing a 1, 500-pound bell and topped by a 135-foot (from the ground) spire.

Other brick buildings in Augusta that have not been described in earlier articles in this series and that are on the National Register of Historic Places include:

  • The Lot Morrill House on the north side of Winthrop Street at the Prospect Street intersection, built about 1830;
  • The Governor Samuel Cony House, also known as the William Payson Viles House, on the east side of Stone Street (Route 9 on the east side of the Kennebec), built in 1846;
  • The former Augusta City Hall, at 1 Cony Street, on the east bank of the Kennebec, and the north side of Bridge Street, built in 1895-96; and
  • The Governor John F. Hill Mansion, on State Street at the Green Street intersection, built in 1901.

The old city hall is now an assisted living facility. The Hill mansion is an events center welcoming area residents to rent its facilities. The Morrill and Cony houses appear to be privately owned.

* * * * * *

As previous articles (see 2021 indexes to The Town Line) have shown, another major building material was granite, used in Augusta especially for religious and public buildings, and for a minority of the commercial buildings in the Water Street Historic District.

Two major granite building complexes on the east side of the Kennebec River were the Kennebec Arsenal, built between 1828 and 1838 (see box), and the original building at what was in 1838 the Augusta Insane Hospital, plus the wing added in 1848.

Granite buildings on the west side of the Kennebec included:

  • the Kennebec County Court House, on State Street (1829);
  • the State House, on State Street (1832);
  • the Kennebec jail (1859);
  • South Parish Congregational Church, on Church Street (1865);
  • St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, on Summer Street (1886);
  • Lithgow Library, on Winthrop Street (completed in 1896); and
  • St Mary’s Catholic Church, on Western Avenue (1926).

Because of space limitations, discussion of the development of the granite industry in the Kennebec River valley will be postponed to next week.

Update on Augusta’s Kennebec Arsenal

Kennebec Arsenal

The Kennebec Arsenal in Augusta is a collection of eight granite buildings built between 1828 and 1838 and designated a National Historic Landmark District in 2000 (see the Jan. 21, 2021, and Feb. 10, 2022, issues of The Town Line). It is now privately owned.

A June 24 Kennebec Journal article by Keith Edwards said the owner has failed to maintain the buildings. City council members discussed declaring the Arsenal a dangerous site, but decided at their June 23 meeting to postpone action until July 28.

Edwards explained that if the property were declared dangerous, councilors could set a deadline for action, at minimum presentation of a repair plan. Failure to meet the deadline would let the city have the work done and bill the owner, or have the buildings demolished. If the owner didn’t pay the bill, the city could lien the property; if the lien were not paid, the buildings would eventually become the city’s.

The current owner bought the property 15 years ago, Edwards wrote, accepting an obligation to maintain its historic value. A local group has been formed named Concerned Citizens for Augusta Historical Preservation of the Kennebec Arsenal.

Main sources

Kingsbury, Henry D., ed., Illustrated History of Kennebec County Maine 1625-1892 (1892).
North, James W., The History of Augusta (1870).

Websites, miscellaneous.

Tina’s Daylilies to donate 20 percent of sales on July 23 to MS research

Once again Tina White, owner of Tina’s Daylilies, will be hosting an annual garden party fundraiser. This is the eighth year that Tina’s Daylilies has held this event. They will have door prizes, refreshments and Tina says “we will have lots of blooms!” Each year 20 percent of the proceeds that day is donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for MS research, along with donations others give that day or on line. “Research for a cure is what we really need”, White says.

Multiple Sclerosis is an incurable, progressive disease that attacks the central nervous system. It is now estimated that one million people in the United States have been diagnosed with MS. This disease most often appears in people between ages 20 to 50, with two to three times more women than men receiving the diagnosis.

“This has become my way of helping find a cure for MS so that we can stop MS completely. It’s a lot of fun to talk with people about daylilies or MS and hear what the connection is for people who come,” she says.

The event will be Saturday July 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Tina’s Daylilies, located at 310 East Pond Road, in Jefferson. If you are unable to come to the event but would like to donate to the fundraiser you may go to the event page at www.tinasdaylilies.com and click on the “Donate to NMSS” button. Tina’s Daylilies is open June, July and August each year and always has a donation can there or the online page accepts donation until the end of the calendar year.

Planning well underway for China Community Days festivities

by Eric W. Austin

Local residents of China are hard at work organizing the activities and festivities for the China Community Days celebration planned for the weekend of August 5-7.

The events kick off on Friday evening with a free barbecue dinner, lawn games and a movie hosted at Central Church, on Route 3, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Those looking to work off the pounds instead of putting them on can participate in (or watch) a softball game on Friday evening, organized by Martha Wentworth and the China Rec Committee, starting at 8 p.m., at the China Ballfields, between the Middle and Primary schools. Potential players should call the Town Office (445-2014, extension 3) to reserve their spot on the team.

Saturday will feature a host of events and sights to see starting at 10 a.m. at the China Ballfields, including booths from local organizations and vendors, fun kids’ activities and games for all ages. (Vendors looking to participate should contact Neil Farrington at peachclassof68@gmail.com, 462-4321, or Ashli Hussey at 692-3210.)

Proceeds raised from the Dunk Tank on Saturday (three balls for $1) will go to help Steve Arsenault and his family, who has recently received a heart transplant.

Mr. Drew and His Animals Too! will be on hand with a menagerie of exotic pets to wow the kids and adults alike.

The Cornhole Tournament, under the supervision of Tom Michaud, kicks off at 1 p.m. Participants can sign up ahead of time at the Town Office or on the day of the event. For more information contact Tom Michaud at 242-0318 or Alyssa Michaud at 692-8813.

Bob Hall is putting together a “Cruize-In Car Show” for Saturday at the China Primary School. There’s no entry fee and anyone entering their vehicle will receive 11 tickets for a chance at some fantastic prizes.

All weekend there will be town-wide yard sales. Anyone wanting to get in on the action by having their sale included on the “Yard Sale Trail” map being put together by the Town Office should contact them at 445-2014 or email info@chinamaine.org with their location and time information. A map of the yard sale locations will be published on the Facebook pages for China Community Days and the Town of China and available at the Town Office.

Saturday afternoon, the festivities continue with a Cardboard Boat Regatta hosted by the China Lake Association. Contestants should gather at the China Baptist Church Park on Causeway Road at the north end of the lake. Races begin at 4:45 p.m. and registration opens at 4 p.m. For more information and to find a copy of the registration form, go to the Town of China website, china.govoffice.com, or the China Community Days Facebook page. For any questions, contact Elaine Philbrook at 968-1037 or Bill Powell at 441-3514.

There’s also a Boat Parade for decorated boats (those not built of cardboard) starting at 5 p.m. in front of the China Lake Conference Center. The parade will travel down the lake to the Causeway at 5:30 p.m. for judging, with prizes going to the best decorated boats. Register your boat by sending an email to boatparade22@gmail.com.

Get your boogie on Saturday evening at the Street Dance in the China Baptist parking lot from 6 – 9:30 p.m., featuring the live band, The Veggies!. Food will be available for sale from the China Baptist hamburger booth. The China 4 Seasons Club will also be selling glow sticks for all the neon-lovers out there.

The celebrations on Saturday will end with a bang — literally! — with a fireworks show, beginning at 9 p.m. ,from Judi Gilman’s property at the north end of the lake.

On Sunday, a Youth Fishing Derby is being held from 9 – 11 a.m. for ages 15 and under on the Causeway. For more information or to register your child, contact Kelly Grotten at 445-2014, extension 6, or 462-0301.

The final event of the weekend is also one of the most popular: the China Community Days Scavenger Hunt. After registering (promptly!) at noon in the China Baptist Church parking lot, teams will have two hours to find 100 items.

All of the events, except for fireworks, will be held rain or shine. The rain date for fireworks is Sunday.

The China Community Days Committee is still looking for volunteers to help with the planned activities, so please contact the Town Office if you are available.

PHOTO: Sidney Bracelet sale

Hunter Moser, 12, left, of Sidney, and Ava Couture-Lynch, 11, from Boston, Massachusetts, right, selling lemonade and bracelets that they made on July 1. Hunter was spending time with her grandparents, in Winslow. Hunter and Ava’s #1 customer of the day was Winslow Police Officer Marc Rousseau, center. (photo by Mark Huard)

PHOTO: China Community Food Pantry Saturday crew

The Saturday crew at the China Food Pantry. From left to right, Peter Caldwell, Larry Lemieux, Carl McKeil, Cindi Orlando, Donna Loveland, Ann Austin, Cathy Bourque, Nancy Lemieux, Bunny Caldwell, Jodi Blackinton and Kimberly Goneau. (photo by Eric W. Austin)

SCORES & OUTDOORS: DNA verifies another wolf killed in New York

Trail cameras set up by MWC captured these images. (photos courtesy of John Glowa)

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

This week, I’m going to give my space to John Glowa Sr., of the Maine Wolf Coalition, with an update on the mounting evidence that wolves are attempting a comeback in the Northeast:

by John Glowa Sr.

DNA analysis of an 85-pound canid shot by a New York hunter in December 2021, has verified the animal to have been a wolf. The animal was killed in central New York and the hunter posted photos of the animal on social media. At the time that it was killed, wolves had been removed from the federal Endangered Species list. They have since been reinstated to the list after a successful lawsuit by wildlife advocates.

In a collaborative effort between the Northeast Ecological Recovery Society (NERS) and the Maine Wolf Coalition (MWC), the hunter graciously provided tissue samples of the animal for DNA analysis, some of which were sent by NERS at considerable expense to the Natural Resources DNA Profiling and Forensic Centre at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. We thank the hunter for his cooperation, without which we would not have gotten samples for analysis. The findings concluded that the animal was effectively 100 percent wolf with DNA from Great Lakes wolves, Northwest Territories gray wolves and Eastern wolves, in decreasing order of DNA percentage. The complex nature and purity of the wolf DNA may be consistent with a wild wolf that dispersed from Canada where various wolf populations are known to intermingle.

It has long been wrongly believed that the St. Lawrence River and surrounding area serve as a barrier to wolf dispersal. This animal is the latest of at least ten wolves known to have been killed south of the St. Lawrence River since 1993 which includes wolves killed in Day, New York, in 2001, and Sterling, New York, in 2005. Other wolves have been killed in Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, New Brunswick and Québec. MWC, through our own research, documented the first live Eastern wolf in Maine in through scat we collected in 2019.

The presence of wolves in New York is to be expected, given the state’s proximity to documented wolf range in Canada and its abundant habitat and prey. There are tens of thousands of square miles of potential wolf habitat in the northeast, much of it in New York, which makes the northeast ideal for wolf recovery. In fact, wolves live just sixty miles from the New York border, a distance that a dispersing wolf could travel in a day or two.

The New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has long denied the presence of wolves in the state. NYSDEC agents reportedly took tissue samples of the animal for DNA analysis but the agency has issued no statement regarding their results.

The killing of this animal is just the latest stone in a growing mountain of evidence proving that wolves are attempting to recolonize the northeast U.S. and maritime Canada south of the St. Lawrence River. It is past time for the state and federal governments to take action to protect wolves in the northeast. Denying their existence, failing to conduct the necessary research to determine their status, and refusing to give them the protection to which they are entitled are all contrary to state and federal law and the intent of the Endangered Species Act.

For more information, contact: Northeast Ecological Recovery Society, Joseph Butera 83-37. 267 St., Floral Park, NY 11004, 917-855-4906: email: lorjoewolf@juno.com; or Maine Wolf Coalition, John M. Glowa, Sr., 30 Meadow Wood Drive, South China, ME 04358, 207-660-3801: email: jglowa@roadrunner.com.

OBITUARIES for Thursday, July 21, 2022

TIMOTHY R. GREEN

VASSALBORO – Timothy Robert Green, 41, passed away on Monday, June 20, 2022. He was born on January 23, 1981, the son of Robert and Lynn Green.

Timothy graduated from LaSalle Military Academy, Oakdale, New York, class of 1999. He attended Fordham University from 1999 to 2000 where he was a member of Pershing Rifles and was honored to meet General Jack Keane.

In 2000, he enlisted into the United States Army, and served as member of the 101st Airborne Division, 1st of the 502, Delta Company, Infantry.

He deployed to Iraq in 2004 through 2005. In 2008, Timothy was discharged from the Army, and received the following commendations: Army Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Bar, Combat Infantryman Badge, and Parachutist Badge.

In 2011, Timothy graduated from Wesleyan University College of Social Studies, with a multi-disciplinary degree in History, Government, Political and Social Theory, and Economics.

He was employed by the Veterans Administration, in San Francisco, California, and later at the Maine Department of Motor Vehicles as a project manager.

Timothy was loved by many for his engaging smile, outgoing personality, and dedication to fellow veterans. He gave guidance and unwavering support to his fellow veterans in their time of crisis and helped others obtain benefits. Timothy will be missed by all who loved him, and there are many.

He is survived by his wife Megan Green; parents Robert and Lynn Green, of Plymouth Massachusetts; his sisters Jennifer and spouse David Lachina, of Putnam, Connecticut, and Amy and spouse Justin Holwell, of Princeton, Massachusetts; niece Kate Holwell, and nephews Aidan Pesce, Riley Holwell and Finn Holwell.

Timothy’s funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, July 22, in St. Bonaventure Catholic Church, 803 State Rd., Plymouth, Massachusetts, at 10 a.m.

Interment with military honors will follow in Manomet Cemetery, Plymouth, Mass.

Arrangements are in the care of the Knowlton and Hewins Funeral Home, 1 Church St. Augusta, where condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the website at http://www.khrfuneralhomes.com.

CLAIRE DUTIL

WATERVILLE – Claire Helen Mailloux Dutil, 87, passed away on Thursday, July 7, 2022. She was born on Sunday, May 12, 1935, in Waterville, to Henry and Anne Marie (Pelletier) Maillioux.

Claire graduated from Waterville Senior High School in 1953. She was a beautiful lady with a wonderful laugh and a beautiful smile. Her fortitude, strength, and perseverance were immense. She was kind, generous, non-demanding and had immeasurable strength throughout her whole life right up until the end.

On May 12, 1956, Claire married Joseph “Bob” Dutil, of Winslow. Their first child Cindy was born with cerebral palsy, and this began Claire’s unique journey of love, strength, and fortitude. She cared for Cindy in her home for 47 years. Their son Brian was born six years later. The family spent summers on Pattee Pond, in Winslow. Claire was involved in Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and football boosters and she canned vegetables from their garden each year.

In 1986, Claire’s dream of becoming a “Mémère,” began. When Claire’s three grandchildren were young, she often cared and cooked for them while their parents worked. She loved to sew and knit. Her favorite things to bake were molasses cookies and whoopie pies which her family loved. She put her heart into every dish she made, and you could guarantee to never leave her table hungry. Her grandkids remember great hugs and kisses. Her husband Bob died in 2019, just 11 days after their 64th anniversary.

Claire is survived by her daughter Cindy Dutil, of Oakland; son Brian and wife Linda (Clark) Dutil, of Waterville; grandsons Nicholas and wife Katie (London) Dutil, of Sidney, Jeffrey and wife Savanna (Dickey) Dutil, of Winslow; granddaughter Kathryn (Dutil) and husband Thomas Hersom, of Winslow; and her four great-grandchildren. Tessa Dutil, Jocelyn “Jocie” Hersom, Isabelle “Belle” Hersom, and Arlo Dutil; her sister Theresa and husband David Roy, of Oakland; her brothers-in-law John and wife Lorraine Dutil, of Winslow, Hartley “Buzz’ Fernald, of Winslow; and sister-in-law Therese Dutil of Fairfield.

Claire was predeceased by her parents; her husband Joseph “Bob”, her sister Collette and husband Joseph “Larry” Theriault, sister-in-law Patricia (Dutil) Fernald, brother-in-law’s Danny “Chi Chi” Dutil, and Louis “Pete” and wife Evelyn.

Per Claire’s request, there will be no calling hours or funeral. A private graveside committal with immediate family will take place later this summer.

Arrangements are under the direction and care of Gallant Funeral Home 10 Elm Street, Waterville. For Claire’s full obituary, please visit http://www.gallantfh.com.

In Claire’s memory, donations may be made to HOPE, payable to Erskine Academy, c/o HOPE, 309 Windsor Road, South China, ME 04358.

RAYMOND F. DYER

VASSALBORO – Raymond F. Dyer, 78, of Vassalboro, passed away Friday, July 8, 2022. He was born March 29, 1944, in Waterville the son of Ralph B. and Adah L. (Riley) Dyer.

He worked for Maingas for 35-1/2 years delivering propane all over the state of Maine. He enjoyed being with people and loved cooking suppers at the Second Baptist Church, in Waterville. Then he moved on to Shawmut Chapel where he become a member where he was called home.

He is survived by his wife Lois Dyer; his children Michael and fiancée Lana, of Louisiana, and his daughter Amy Meschke and husband Michael, of Ohio; his stepson Cory Young and wife Lisa, of Pittston; grandchildren Joshua, Emily, Sara, Curtis, Benjamin, Tavia, Victorianna; and many great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his parents Ralph and Adah Dyer; sister Martha Winzler and brother Thomas Dyer.

There will be no funeral services. A graveside service will be held at a later date at the convenience of the family.

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

In lieu of flowers, friends wishing may make donations in Raymond’s memory to Humane Society Waterville Area, 100 Webb Rd., Waterville, ME 04901.
Humane Society

RONALD J. GILBERT

VASSALBORO – Ronald Joseph Gilbert, 72, passed away on Sundzy, July 10, 2022. Ronald was born in Waterville on September 8, 1949, the son of Napoleon P. Gilbert and Cecilia (Gallant) Gilbert.

He graduated from Waterville High School class of 1967. Ron graduated from Husson College, in Bangor, in 1971, with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He graduated from Thomas College, in Waterville, in 1981, with a master’s degree in accounting and finance. In his professional career, he was a Certified Public Accountant.

He worked as administrative director of WMCA 1986-1990. He also owned and operated Gilbert’s Sports Cards, in Waterville, and Wilton. Ron was also business manager in the CDS system from 1997-2007. He finished his professional career as business manager at MSAD #12, retiring in 2008.

Ron’s hobbies included reading, crossword puzzles, karaoke, and collecting sports memorabilia.

Ron was predeceased by his parents Napoleon P. and Cecilia Gilbert, and stepmother Ida Gilbert, as well as sisters Margaret Brockway and Ruth Gross.

He is survived by his wife Debbie Warren; brother J. Peter Gilbert, of Waterville; nephews Keith Brockway, of Albion, Daniel Brockway, of China, Matthew Gilbert, of South Portland, and Andrew Gilbert, of Searsport; nieces Kristie Davis, of Marshal, Minnesota, Mary Lambert, of Waldoboro, and Tina Shaw, of Buxton; many great-nieces and -nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 10 a.m., on Tuesday, July 19, at Notre Dame Catholic Church, 116 Silver Street, Waterville. Burial was in the St. Francis Catholic Cemetery, 78 Grove Street, Waterville, following the Mass.

Arrangements are under the direction and care of Gallant Funeral Home. An online guestbook may be signed, condolences and memories shared at http://www.gallantfh.com

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Kennebec Valley Humane Society, in Augusta, ME, the Comfort Care Unit of Maine General Rehab and LTC at Glenridge at, 40 Glenridge Drive, Augusta, ME 04330-6606, or The Maine Cancer Foundation, in Falmouth, Maine, or the American Cancer Society of Maine, PO Box 350, Westbrook, ME 04098.

MARK T. HOSEA

OCALA, Flaorida – Mark Tingley Hosea, 91, of Ocala, Florida, passed away on Sunday, July 10, 2022, at Cates House Hospice of Marion County. He was born in Robbinston, on March 28, 1931, the son of Frank and Anna (Ayer) Hosea.

The family moved to Waterville when he was 12 years old and attended Calvary Temple Church. From a young age, Mark was a talented vocalist with a passion for music. He used this gift at music festivals across Eastern Maine as a soloist, as part of a young men’s quartet, and later as a worship and song leader in church.

Mark met the love of his life, Madolyn Enid (Closson) Hosea, at Advent Christian Church, in Waterville. The two married on August 6, 1955, and became the proud parents of four children, Rhonda, Marcia, Mary and Joel. Together, Mark and Madolyn built a life rooted in Christ’s love and God’s Holy Word, restoring an old mansion in North Vassalboro, called the White Haven, that they turned into a boarding house for seniors. The home was filled with love, music, laughter — and precisely the kind of mischief one would expect with four children.

Mark is survived by his wife, Madolyn, of Ocala, with whom he would have celebrated 67 years of marriage this year; his children, Rhonda Drusendahl, Marcia Stevens, Mary Box and Joel Hosea, of Ocala; his sister Sandra (Hosea) Charity, of Ocala; six grandchildren, Robby Cray, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Rachael Phelps, of Wilmington, North Carolina, Jarrod Stevens and Shane Stevens, both of Dover-Foxcroft, Jenna Box Sarkissian, of Tallahassee, Florida, and Mason Box, of Ocala; 14 great-grandchildren and many nephews and nieces.

A service for Mark was held Wednesday, July 20, at the Roberts Funeral Homes Cemetery, Good Shepherd Memorial Gardens, at 5050 SW 20th St., in Ocala, Florida.

WILLIAM J. MOORES

WINSLOW – William John Moores, 93, of Winslow, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 11, 2022.

Bill was a proud military veteran and served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He enjoyed motorcycle riding, hunting with his son, and spending time with his wife, Sylvia Jackson.

For many years, Bill shared his knowledge of cars as an instructor in the auto mechanics program at Waterville Regional Technical Vocational Center. He had an intense love of animals, especially for the many dogs and cats that were part of his family over the years.

Bill will be missed by his loved ones and especially by his son, Stephen, and granddaughters, Libbey Moores-Gallant and Angela Wyrick.

Per Bill’s request, no funeral or memorial service will be held.

In lieu of flowers, you may make a donation to your local animal shelter.

GERALDINE KING

FAIRFIELD – Geraldine “Gerri” (Toulouse) King, 97, died Tuesday, July 12, 2022, following a short stay at Lakewood Nursing Home, in Waterville. She had previously resided at Sunset Home, in Waterville, and for most of her life in Fairfield.

Gerri was born on February 6, 1925, in Oakland, the daughter of George and Leah Boudreau Toulouse. She was born during a cold snowstorm on a couch in a living room near a wood stove. She loved East Pond where she and her two sisters grew up.

She was educated in Oakland schools, a graduate of Milton LaForrest Williams High School, in Oakland, and Thomas College, in Waterville, in 1944, then located on Main Street, in Waterville. She had founder, Mr. Thomas, as her teacher. She married long time Fairfield resident Allie W. King, Jr., in 1952, at Sacred Heart Church, in Waterville.

Her first job was at the American Woolen Mill, (Kennebec Mills), in Fairfield. She worked there until the mill was sold and purchased by Mr. R.J. Fromkin, from New York. The mill was eventually moved to the old cotton mill, in Waterville, until it closed. After 24 years as office manager, she temporarily retired and stayed home to take care of Allie III until he entered seventh grade at junior high, in Fairfield. Gerri then worked at the school as administrative assistant to the principal, Richard Dostie, until she retired from SAD #49 in 1986.

Upon retirement, Gerri and her husband Allie Jr., spent five winters in Florida in the New Port Richey area with friends and family. Eventually the Florida trips ended, and her husband of 50 years passed away. Gerri then focused on extensive charitable work to occupy her time. She loved to volunteer at the Fairfield Interfaith Food Pantry. She loved fundraising for the new pantry. She loved to knit and made 50 pairs of mittens, 50 hats and 26 shawls every year for 18 years for needy children of the pantry and Catholic Charities.

She volunteered at the Lawrence Library for several years as well as at the MaineGeneral Medical Center Lab, in Waterville, for four years. She was on the board of Sunset Home, in Waterville, for three years. She also assisted Catholic Charities, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Corpus Christi Parish, and the Fairfield Chapter of the Knights of Columbus. She coordinated the publishing of three cookbooks, raising funds for Immaculate Heart of Mary, Knights of Columbus, and Sunset Home. Gerri loved people and helping those that needed help. She lived her life based upon the quote by Arthur Ashe: “From what we get we can make a living, what we give we can make a life.”

She was predeceased by two sisters, Lucille Longely, of Fairfield, and Retha Duquette, of Waterville.

She is survived by a son, Allie W. King, III, of Westport, Connecticut; a sister-in-law, Linda Allard, of Freeport; several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Wednesday, July 20, at 10 a.m., at Notre Dame Catholic Church, 116 Silver St., Waterville. Committal services with the family will be at St. Francis Catholic Cemetery, in Waterville.

Arrangements are in the care of Lawry Brothers Funeral Home, 107 Main St., Fairfield where memories may be shared, and an online register book signed by visiting http://www.lawrybrothers.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Gerri King, to the Fairfield Interfaith Food Pantry, c/o Nancy Marcoux, 35 Savage St.,, Fairfield, ME 04937 or Sunset Home, 114 College Ave., Waterville, ME 04901.

MARY LOU NOYES

ALBION – Mary Lou Nelson Noyes, 87, passed away at her home, in Albion, on Tuesday, July 12, 2022. She was born in Palermo to Manley and Barbara Worthing Nelson on November 3, 1934.

Mary Lou graduated from Erskine Academy, in South China, in 1954 and married Keith Noyes in October of the same year. This is when she moved to the farm house in Albion and started her life as lifelong homemaker and co-owner of The Noyes Farm. She was an excellent cook, very generous and enjoyed feeding family and friends for many years.

Mary Lou served as a PTA volunteer in the Albion Elementary school, was a former member of the Albion Fire Department Auxiliary, enjoyed participating in many ladies bowling leagues and was a lifelong member of TOPS. She had also been active as a member of the Palermo Grange, Palermo Historical Society and Albion Senior Citizens.

She enjoyed traveling and visited family all over the country and Canada.

Those who knew Mary Lou knew of her lifelong love of the Boston Red Sox. For over 17 years, she, her sister Linda, and several friends would travel to Boston each year and attend a 3 – 4 game series. Dwight Evans was her all time favorite player. Mary Lou also enjoyed watching the Boston Celtics. Of course, her love of sports was not just professional. Mary Lou was a huge supporter of her children and grandchildren attending many, many of their sporting events (gymnastics, baseball, football, basketball, softball, track and soccer).

Mary Lou was predeceased by her husband Keith, her parents, sister Linda Ayer, brother Douglas Nelson, and nephew Nelson Ayer.

She is survived by daughter Karen Noyes Moody; son Chuck and wife Deborah; daughter Julie and partner James McCarthy; sons Cameron and partner Kathleen Golden, and Andrew and wife Denise Fisher; grandchildren Bethany, Stephanie, Holly, Keith, Evan, Meredith, Greta, Travis, Kadie, Bean, Darcie and Cassandra; great-grandchildren Trinity, Harmony, Kaysin, Wesley, Addison, Elliotte, Riley, Tayler, Booker, Eli and Gabe.

A graveside service is planned for Friday, July 29, at 1 p.m., at the Lincoln Cemetery at the end of the Noyes Road, in Albion. A reception will follow at the China Masonic Hall Central Lodge #45, in China Village, from 1:30 – 3 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, any donations can be made to Palermo Historical Society, PO Box 13, Palermo, ME 04354.

JEFFREY B. SUGDEN

CHINA – Jeffrey B. Sugden, 72, died on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, from pancreatic cancer. Jeff was born July 17, 1949, in Boston, Massachusetts, to John Frederick and Ruth (Bryant) Sugden, the second of four boys.

He was raised in Weston, Massachusetts, and graduated from Weston High School, where he was a standout in football and played hockey. After a post-grad year at Worcester Academy, he started working for his grandfather’s electrical company in Boston and went through the IBEW apprenticeship program at night. He lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts. enjoying the music and excitement of the late ‘60s. He also enlisted in the Naval Reserves at that time. There he met his first wife, Margaret Hayes, and they married and had three daughters. In 1972, wanting to be back-to-the-landers, they moved to Mercer, renovated an old house, and raised vegetables, rabbits, and their daughters in the country.

At that time, Jeff did electrical work throughout Maine. In 1979, Jeff and Margi divorced, and he moved to Skowhegan for a year, and then back to Boston where he worked on building the Bank of Boston and other downtown buildings.

During those years, Jeff would come back to Maine to care for his daughters, and in 1982, he moved to Waterville so he could be a hands-on Dad, and the girls lived with him every other week. It was then he met his cherished wife, Valerie, in their apartments’ parking lot after an April blizzard. They enjoyed 40 years together. They were an exceptional team, moving to China, where they had two sons, and raised their five children in a camp counselor’s dormitory that they renovated into a house on eight acres. They also bought and re-built a camp on China Lake that the whole family enjoyed. During that time, Jeff worked at Colby College, in Waterville, as an electrician and later electrical supervisor but decided at the age of 50 to launch his own electrical business, which was very successful. He greatly enjoyed bringing his son, Jon, and grandson along in the business.

Jeff worked hard at everything and enjoyed his success with buying a lot of boats, camping equipment, and campers. He had many exciting snowmobiling and ice fishing trips with his fishing friends. Jeff and Val loved fishing at Rangely, traveling to Florida, and camping at Baxter State Park. They also had a wonderful trip on the Queen Mary 2 to England, where he ate and drank his way around the country. Jeff loved his life and his family and was so very proud of all his children and grandchildren, their character and accomplishments.

His children will forever be grateful for his unwavering support and love.

Jeff was a natural leader who loved helping others. Gifted with a great sense of humor, Jeff could deliver a punchline with panache. He was loyal, kind, stubborn, and a phenomenal problem solver. He will be missed beyond measure by his family.

Jeff is survived by his wife of 39 years, Valerie; his daughters Eliza (Jim) Baldwin, of Hampden, Sarah (Matthew) Sugden, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Rebecca Sugden, of Vassalboro, David (Kait) Sugden, of Industry, and Jon (Marie) Sugden, of China; his grandchildren Owen and Ruby Mathias, Jack and Madeline Hankey, James and Oliver Sugden, and Penelope and Otto Sugden; brothers James Sugden, of Chicago, Illinois, John Sugden, of Wellesley, Massachusetts. and Peter Sugden ,of Marstons Mills, Massachusetts; and great-aunt Jane Sugden, of W. Harwich, Massachusetts.

Jeff asked that there would not be any church services but an outdoor celebration of life at a later date. Those who wish may leave written condolences at http://www.CrosbyNeal.com

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the charity of your choice.

RICHARD LABRIE

WATERVILLE – Richard was born in Waterville to Vicky and Russell Dorr and later adopted by his grandparents Angelina and Rennie LaBrie. He was an iron worker throughout Maine and New England.

He was predeceased by his grandparents. He is survived by his mother and children, Anthony, Parker, Autumn, and Damian.

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

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

ROBERT G. VEILLEUX

OAKLAND – Robert G. Veilleux, 81, passed away on Tuesday, July 12, 2022.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m., on Saturday, July 30, at Notre Dame Catholic Church, 116 Silver St., Waterville, followed by a reception at the Waterville Elks Lodge #905. To see the full obituary please visit http://www.gallantfh.com.

FRANKLIN C. FOLEY

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Franklin C. Foley, 67, of Newport News, Virginia, formerly of Fairfield, peacefully passed away at home, on Thursday, June 9, 2022. Frank was born March 23, 1955, in Fairfield, to Francis R. and Clarabell M. Foley.

Frank graduated from Lawrence High School, in Fairfield, later attending culinary school to become a chef, later retiring from Thayer Hospital, in Waterville, at age 35. Frank had a true passion for cooking, and sharing his recipes.

Frank adored the ocean, and especially walking along the breakwater in Rockland. Sunday nights were reserved for movie night with his family. Frank was quite the prankster and enjoyed sharing a good joke. Frank enjoyed traveling, having spent time in Africa, and the Philippines, where he met the love of his life, Jacky, and had the honor of adopting her son, Kenneth.

Frank was predeceased by his mother Clarabelle and father Francis; his brother Allen Foley; and infant grandson Nathan Blaschke.

Surviving Frank are his wife Jacky Foley; sisters Frances Dodge Foley and husband Charles, Patricia Loubier, and Shirley Foley; six children, daughter Ginny Foley-Paradis and wife Elicia, son Franklin John Foley, daughter Elizabeth Nickerson and husband Jason, daughter Brianne Blaschke and husband Mark, and sons William Foley, and Kenneth Foley; seven grandchildren, Dana Palmer Jr, Matilda Foley, Cara Blaschke, Jaxon Allison, Sebastian Foley-Paradis, Benjamin Blaschke, and his newest grandaughter Frankie Foley-Paradis.

A graveside service is to be held on August 6, 2022, at Maplewood Cemetery, in Fairfield, with a time to be determined.

JACK HOPPER SR.

WINSLOW – Jack Hopper Sr., 81, passed away Monday, June 27, 2022, at his home, in Winslow, following a two-year battle with lung cancer.

Arrangements by Aable Cremation Services. At his request, there will be no funeral services.

MICHAEL P. HUTCHIINS SR.

SERVICE

SOMERVILLE – Michael P. Hutchins, Sr., 47, of Somerville, passed away unexpectedly from his injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. A memorial service was held on Saturday, July 23, at Hall’s of Waldoboro, who cared for the arrangements.