Up and down the Kennebec Valley: French-Canadians – Part 2

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Water St., Waterville, The Plains, circa 1930. Note the trolley in the center of the photo. The trolley ceased operations on October 10, 1937. Many of the buildings in this photo are no longer there. (photo courtesy of Roland Hallee)

by Mary Grow

(See part 1 of this series here.)

French-Canadians Part & other Catholics

The story of French-Canadian immigrants in the Augusta and Waterville area, as presented by the writers cited, is partly a story of separateness and discrimination evolving into cooperation and mutual respect.

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One of the stations of Waterville’s Museum in the Street in front of the home of Waterville’s first permanent Canadian settler, Jean Mathieu.

Steven Plocher’s on-line history says Québecois began to come to Waterville in the 1820s, first as temporary workers and after Jean (or Jean-Baptiste) Mathieu (or Matthieu) arrived in 1827 as permanent residents. Their numbers increased after the Kennebec Road from Québec Province was improved around 1830.

An on-line history by a writer identified as Bob Chenard, drawing on other histories of Waterville’s French-Canadian community, says in the 1820s Mathieu came as far south as Shirley (between Monson and Greenville) and started a food delivery service for lumber camps and settlers north of Bangor.

When he came to Waterville, he moved a wooden house from Fairfield to the east side of Water Street, in an area in southern Waterville called La Plains, “The Plains”. Plocher said his house served as the first French Catholic meeting house. Whittemore, in his 1902 Waterville history, said Father Fortier said the first Mass there. Neither historian gave a date.

Chenard described The Plains as the area along Water Street and side streets off Water Street. When settlement began, the land was “thickly wooded,” with occasional small clearings where livestock could graze. He said there were about 300 French families in Waterville, mostly in The Plains, by the early 1830s; your writer considers the figure of about 30 families in 1835, given by George Dana Boardman Pepper in his chapter on churches in Whittemore’s history, more likely to be accurate.

Most of the inhabitants of The Plains “were very poor,” Chenard wrote. “Some excavated and reinforced shelter in steep slopes as temporary homes. The most prosperous owned some domestic animals.”

Whittemore added an anecdote: “One of the citizens whose wealth now amounts to several tens of thousands of dollars tells how an unsuspicious cow who had strayed upon one of these turf roofs came down through it into the midst of the astonished family.”

Job opportunities Chenard listed included clearing the area that became Pine Grove Cemetery, working in sawmills and other manufactories, farming, lumbering, quarrying and brick-making. In 1855, construction of the first railroad through Waterville provided more jobs and created a second Franco-American settlement in the north end of town.

As mills and manufacturing developed in the 1860s and 1870s, job opportunities multiplied, and more French-Canadians, in Plocher’s words, left behind “their struggling farms and the British government in Québec for the economic prosperity and relative freedom found in the U.S.”

Chenard said “Waterville’s first grocery stores” were opened on Water Street in the 1860s, by “Peter Bolduc and Frederick Pooler (Poulin).” New French-Canadian stores continued to open in the 1870s; Chenard mentioned clothing and jewelry stores, and Plocher wrote,” After the first French store opened in 1862, dozens of other businesses and services followed suit: before long there were stores, doctors, dentists, lawyers, even a theater, all in the Plains.”

A successor store that Kingsbury described was John Darveau, Jr.’s, grocery, opened in 1876. Darveau was born in St. Georges, Québec, Kingsbury wrote; assisted by his brother, Joseph Darveau, and Henry W. Butler, he ran the store until he died in 1891.

The old Lockwood-Dutchess Textile Mill, on Water St., in Waterville. Now the Hathaway Creative Center. It was a mill where many Canadians went to work upon their relocation to Waterville.

The Civil War and post-war industrial development encouraged more immigration. For Waterville, Chenard wrote, the opening of the Lockwood Cotton Mill at the north end of Water Street in 1874 “attracted the greatest number of Franco-American immigrants.”

Mill owners sent representatives to the Province of Québec to solicit workers. Chenard wrote that substantial immigration continued until 1896, when the province got its first French-Canadian minister and all of Canada became more prosperous.

Kingsbury wrote that in the first six months of 1892, the Lockwood Mill produced “8,752,682 yards of cotton cloth, weighing 2,978,000 pounds. To produce these large results, 2,100 looms, 90,000 spindles and the labor of 1,250 people ten hours each week day are required.” In addition, the mill employed 50 to 75 “skilled mechanics” to keep the machinery running.

Chenard wrote that a small minority of the immigrants were doctors or other professional people, but most were extremely poor, and working in the mill was not a way to get rich. “Even the best weavers made only $1 a day”; average workers made 25 to 50 cents a day.

The mill owners helped workers find conveniently-located housing, Chenard wrote. There were “large boarding houses or small cozy homes known as ‘maison de la compagnie [company house],’ which were mostly owned by the Lockwood Company.” Another choice was an apartment in what Chenard called the Bang’s estate, “a long row of tiny red-painted houses.”

Kingsbury wrote that the French Catholic church in Waterville started as a mission served from Bangor, beginning in the 1840s. Chenard described as “Waterville’s first Catholic Church,” St. John’s on Grove Street, built by Jesuit missionary Father Jean Bapst. Pepper quoted an 1851 article from the Waterville Mail encouraging “those connected with other sects” to support the effort to provide a Catholic house of worship.

The first resident pastor was Father Nicolyn, in 1857. After two other priests, Father D. J. Halde came in 1870 and in 1871 bought a lot on Elm Street and had a larger church, St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, built. It opened in 1874; Kingsbury said it cost $22,000, plus another $8,000 in following years (to 1892).

By 1874, Chenard said, St. John’s church had been moved to Temple Court and converted to a school. By 1902, Pepper wrote, it was a private home.

In 1880, Kingsbury wrote, Father Halde was succeeded by Father Narcisse Charland, who in 1886 bought a house for a “parochial residence” for $3,600 plus $1,000 worth of repair work. The next year the priest spent another $7,000 to build a parochial school, opened in 1888, which contributed to providing education for mill workers’ children.

In 1891 Father Charland invested $8,788 to build and furnish the Orders of Sisters Ursulines convent. Kingsbury wrote that it served “as a residence for the sisters, a boarding house for girls, and has class rooms for recitations.”

In 1892, Kingsbury wrote, there were between 450 and 480 parochial school students, 21 of them boarders. The church seated 1,100 and had two Sunday morning services, but was “too small to accommodate the worshippers from this large and growing parish, which numbers, including Winslow, over 3,000 souls.”

At that time, Kingsbury continued, Father Charland was also holding monthly services at missions in Vassalboro (see below) and Oakland.

Meanwhile, Chenard wrote that Waterville’s Second Baptist Church, also called the French Baptist Church, opened on Water Street in 1884.

Chenard went on to list a variety of French-Canadian organizations that provided social services to the French community, and cultural activities – music, drama – that spread to the entire Waterville community. Plocher added, “The Franco-Americans also introduced hockey to the city.”

Plocher and Chenard agreed that relations between French-Canadians and the rest of Waterville improved over the years. Plocher wrote, “The Anglos in Waterville were forced to adjust to the new presence, and although there was some prejudice in the Yankee population, it was not long before every business had at least one French-speaking employee.”

Whittemore and Chenard both reported much animosity between the young men of the two communities in early days. Whittemore wrote that young Anglos did not visit The Plains “with good intent,” and when young Francos came into Anglo territory “they came in bands strong enough for offense or defense, as the case might require,” sometimes adding out-of-town muscle.

The two writers further agreed that the animosity was past. “In time, it gave way to a more peaceful understanding which often resulted in warm friendships,” Chenard wrote.

Pepper’s view was that relations among adults were reasonably friendly all along. He wrote that Protestants contributed to St. John’s Chapel in the 1850s and to “larger and later” Catholic enterprises. The Mail often ran notes from the Catholic priest of the time thanking all Waterville people for “generous aid furnished especially in connection with church fairs,” he wrote.

“This liberal disposition and grateful appreciation at and from the beginning have contributed not a little to the development of that marked good will which has ever characterized the mutual relations of Catholics and Protestants, French and Americans in this town and its neighborhood,” Pepper said.

As evidence of late 19th-century integration, Chenard called Frederick Pooler/Poulin “the ‘Father’ of French politicians in Waterville,” elected selectman in 1883 and 1887, member of the first board of aldermen after Waterville became a city on Jan. 12, 1888, overseer of the poor from 1889 to 1892, board of education member in 1898-99 and legislative representative in 1906.

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In Fairfield, according to the Fairfield Historical Society, the first French Catholic Mass was celebrated in 1870 by Father Halde, from Waterville, “in a public hall.” By 1882 there were 104 French-Canadian families in the town, and Bishop Healy had Father Charland from Waterville put up “a small chapel on the grounds of the present church” on High Street.

The first “resident pastor” was Rev. Louis Bergoin, in 1891. The history says he thought “the chapel was too small”; it gives no date for the building of the larger church, but says Right Rev. William H. O’Connell, Bishop of Portland, visited the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the first time on Aug. 18, 1901.

A Portland Press Herald article from April 27, 2015, says the building was put up in 1895. The article says “The church was closed by the Waterville-based Corpus Christi Parish four years ago at the same time it shuttered St. Theresa Church, in Oakland, and St. Bridget Church, in Vassalboro.” New owners in April 2015 planned to convert it to their home.

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Speaking of St. Bridget’s Church, in Vassalboro, it, too, was built primarily by and for an immigrant population of mostly mill workers, the Irish who came to North Vassalboro beginning in the 1840s to work in John D. Lang’s woolen mill. In her history of Vassalboro, Alma Pierce Robbins told the story of the church as she found it in “an anonymously-written history” from 1926.

Robbins explained that Vassalboro businessmen had already opened sawmills, gristmills and tanneries in North Vassalboro, using waterpower supplied by China Lake’s Outlet Stream. But the woolen mill required workers with different skills, so, she wrote, Lang and partners advertised “in English and Irish newspapers.”

The ads brought many Irish workers, both from Ireland and from earlier Irish communities in Boston and as far away as New York. Robbins found in the 1850 federal census a list of “new names” in Vassalboro with the countries of origin. Thirty-eight families were from Ireland; 12 were from England; four were from Canada; two were from Scotland; and John McCormack’s birthplace was given as “Atlantic Ocean.”

Many of the Irish were Catholic, and the nearest Catholic church, in Waterville, was a five-mile walk, Robbins wrote. Irish workers began departing for other mill towns where Catholic churches were nearby.

The unnamed mill agent in 1857 arranged for Mass to be said in workers’ homes. When attendees overflowed the houses, the “old Engine House Hall” became the new venue, where Waterville priests held services, at first four times a year and later once a month.

Workers continued to move away, however, and, Robbins wrote, in or a bit before 1874 mill agent George Wilkins, with the help of Waterville’s Father Halde, bought from the mill owners a lot at the intersection of Main Street and Oak Grove Road on which to found St. Bridget’s Catholic Church.

The original building was moved farther south on Main Street and served until it was destroyed by fire on Nov. 5, 1925. A new building was started the next year; the first service was Nov. 14, 1926.

St. Bridget’s Church was also sold and is now Vassalboro’s St. Bridget Center, available for rent for private and public gatherings.

Main sources

Fairfield Historical Society, Fairfield, Maine 1788-1988 (1988).
Kingsbury, Henry D., ed., Illustrated History of Kennebec County Maine 1625-1892 (1892).
Plocher, Stephen, Colby College Class of 2007, A Short History of Waterville, Maine
Found on the web at Waterville-maine.gov.
Robbins, Alma Pierce, History of Vassalborough Maine 1771 1971 n.d. (1971).
Whittemore, Rev. Edwin Carey, Centennial History of Waterville 1802-1902 (1902)

Websites, miscellaneous.

Carrabec High School announces top 10 seniors

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From left-to-right, top row: Emma Baker, Julia Baker, Abigayle Ballard, Cheyenne Cahill, Tyler Edwards. Bottom row: Shyanne Holmes, Courtney Rollins, Trinity Slate, Brandon Smith, Garrett Wilson.

Carrabec High School, in North Anson, top ten students in the class of 2022.

Emma Baker is the daughter of Dean and Melissa Baker, of Embden. Emma will be attending Suny Plattsburgh University in New York for computer science.

Julia Baker is the daughter of Eric and Kelly Baker, of Embden. Julia will be attending Kennebec Valley Community College for nursing/general studies.

Abigayle Ballard is the daughter of Kevin Ballard, of Wiscasset, and Terry and Adam Soosman, of Embden. Abigayle will be attending Kennebec Valley Community College for business/barketing.

Cheyenne Cahill – Valedictorian, is the daughter of Michael and Kimberly Cahill, of Embden. Cheyenne will be attending the University of New England majoring in applied exercise science.

Tyler Edwards is the son of Heather Wahler, of Embden. Tyler will be attending the University of Maine for new media.

Shyanne Holmes – Salutatorian, is the daughter of William and Jennifer Holmes, of North Anson. Shyanne will be attending Thomas College majoring in business.

Courtney Rollins is the daughter of Duayne and Jenney Rollins, of Solon. Courtney will be continuing in the work force.

Trinity Slate is the child of Stacey Slate, of North Anson. Trinity will be attending the University of Maine at Farmington for International and global studies.

Brandon Smith is the son of Kenneth and Rebecca Smith, of Anson. Brandon will be attending Thomas College for their public accounting program.

Garrett Wilson is the son of Jonathan and Susan Wilson, of Embden. Garrett will be attending a four-year college.

EVENTS: Wreath laying ceremony in Vassalboro

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photo: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org

American Legion Post #126, in Vassalboro invites the community to join them as they lay wreaths at the various veteran monuments in Vassalboro on Monday, May 30, 2022

The wreath laying ceremonies will begin at 9 a.m., on Main St., North Vassalboro, at Main St. Veteran Monument. From there they will proceed to the bridge on Oak Grove Road to lay flowers in honor of those lost at sea. Next they will gather at the flagpole and monument at the North Vassalboro Cemetery, on Cemetery St. From there they will go to the Recreation Field in East Vassalboro. Their final stop will be in East Vassalboro at the Civil War Monument, at Monument Park.

LEGAL NOTICES for Thursday, May 19, 2022

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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 MAY 12, 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.

2022-139 – Estate of IVAN C. SOUTHARD, late of Hartland, Me deceased. Brandi L. Morse, 124 Bonne Terre Road, Waldo, Me 04915 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-140 – Estate of EUGENE H. ST. PETER, late of Madison, Me deceased. Marla J. St. Peter-Baruch, PO Box 157, Madison, ME 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-143 – Estate of NOLAN JAMES GIGUERE, late of Harmony, Me deceased. Zachary T. Giguere, 17 Caron Hill Road, Harmony, Me 04942 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-074 – Estate of MICHAEL L. WATSON, late of Fairfield, Me deceased. Allison Watson, 468 Ridge Road, Fairfield, Me 04937 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-147 – Estate of MARY D. BROWN, late of Anson, Me deceased. Tammy Gray, 11 Ordway Street, Georgetown, MA 01833 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-148 – Estate of DAVID A. WING, late of Madison, Me deceased. Justin M. Grant, 21 Shady Lane, Embden, Me 04958 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-150 – Estate of BARBARA A. RICHARDS, late of Fairfield, Me deceased. Marie McCorrison, 392 West Corinth Road, Corinth, ME 04427 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-153 – Estate of DARLA L. PICKETT, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Trisha Lee Austin, 541 East River Road, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-154 – Estate of MARY K. REED, late of Madison Me deceased. Andrew Ketterer, Esq., PO Box 417, Norridgewock, Me 04957 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-155 – Estate of DIANNA L. HAULK-EDGERLY, late of Madison, Me deceased. Christopher L. Edgerly, 144 Old Point Avenue, Madison, Me 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-156 – Estate of MARILYN J. DAIGLE, late of Madison, Me deceased. Starla R. Fortin, 609 Preble Avenue, Madison, Me 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-160 – Estate of REBECCA J. CLIFFORD, late of Champlain, NY deceased. Stephen E. Clifford, 6 Stony Ridge Drive, Washington, Me 04574 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-164 – Estate of CAROLYN G. VICNEIRE, late of Embden, Me deceased. Hollye J. Dunphy, PO Box 112, No. Anson, Me 04938 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-165 – Estate of FREDERICK JOSEPH DYER, JR., late of Fairfield, Me deceased. Nancy E. Simpson, 5 weeks Street, Fairfield, Me 04937 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-166 – Estate of HAROLD CHESTER MAYHEW, late of Solon, Me deceased. Philip B. Gehrke, 217 Moores Mills Road, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-171 – Estate of MARK A. WHITE, late of Cornville, Me deceased. Sarah A. Emery, 33 North Babcock Road, Cornville, Me 04976 and Luke E. White, 40 North Babcock Road, Cornville, Me 04976 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2022-173 – Estate of BARBARA C. DRUMMOND, late of Bingham, Me deceased. Try L. Drummond, PO Box 57, Bingham, Me 04920 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-294 – Estate of HAROLD K. ROBINSON, late of Ripley, Me deceased. Rhonda E. Roberts, 150 West Ripley Road, Ripley, Me 04930 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-177 – Estate of FREDERICK J. BROWN, late of Fairfield, Me deceased. Timothy A. Brown, 32 Robinson Street, Fairfield, ME 04937 appointed Personal Representative.

To be published on MAY 12 & 19, 2022

Dated May 9, 2022
/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(5/19)

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 MAY 26, 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.

2022-158 – Estate of CARLA DAWN ALLEN, Petition for Change of Name (Adult). Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by petitioner Carla Dawn Allen, 229 Peltoma Avenue requesting her name be changed to Carla Dawn Proctor for reasons set forth therein.

SPECIAL NOTICE:

2014-162-1 – Estate of DUANE S. ESTES. A Petition for Formal Adjudication of Intestacy and Appointment of Personal Representative filed by Cheryl Reynolds will be heard on May 26, 2022, at 2 p.m., at the Somerset Probate Court, 41 Court Street, Skowhegan, ME 04976. The appointment of Mark L. Walker, Esq., 144 Water Street, Hallowell, Me 04347, as Personal Representative is requested.

2021-232 – Estate of JEANNINE ESTES. A Petition for Formal Adjudication of Intestacy and Appointment of Personal Representative filed by Cheryl Reynolds will be heard on May 26, 2022, at 2 p.m., at the Somerset Probate Court, 41 Court Street, Skowhegan, Me 04976. The appointment of Mark L. Walker, Esq., 144 Water Street, Hallowell, Me 04347, as SUCCESSOR Personal Representative is requested.

THIS NOTICE IS ESPECIALLY DIRECTED TO SHAWN ESTES, address of 844 Lakeside Drive, China, Me 04358, who may have an interest in this estate.

Dated May 9, 2022
/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(5/19)

OBITUARIES for Thursday, May 19, 2022

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PETER S. FERNALD JR.

CHINA – Peter S. Fernald Jr., 63, died Saturday, April 16, 2022, as a result of a car crash in China, in which he was a passenger. He was born January 23, 1959, in Augusta.

Peter attended China schools and Oak Grove Coburn, in Vassalboro, as well as Kennebec Valley Technical College, in Fairfield.

He worked most of his life in construction and also ran the sound system for the Barnum & Bailey Circus for a few years before becoming disabled in 2012.

Peter left behind his father Peter S. Fernald Sr., and step-mother Phyllis Fernald; brother Paul Fernald Sr., of Fairfield; sister Patricia Lopez, of California; and brother Philip Fernald, of Vassalboro; son Steven Peter Fernald, his wife Brittany Fernald, and their daughter Kinley; numerous nieces and nephews.

Peter had a unique way of living his life but was always there for anyone that needed a helping hand. He was a fixture at the head of China Lake over the last decade.

HERBERT A. BRADLEY

WATERVILLE – Herbert A. Bradley, 76, died suddenly on Tuesday April 18, 2022, from complications of Covid-19. Herbie was born on July 18, 1945, in Waterville, son of Winston and Phoebe (Simpson) Bradley.

He was raised in Vassalboro, one of five children, and graduated from Erskine Academy, in South China, in 1964. After graduating, Herb entered the United States Navy and served his country faithfully on flight crew VP-24 from 1964-1968. His home base was Maryland, but assignments took him all over the globe. From this experience he developed a love for flying small Cessna aircraft.

Herb worked as a first-class linesman and long-time employee of Central Maine Power Co. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, IBEW #1837, the American Legion, the VFW, the Waterville Elks Lodge and the Kennebec River Power Squadron.

He was married to the love of his life and soul mate, Sandra Rafuse Bradley, for 28 years. Nothing brought him more joy than spending time devoted to her, be it taking a ride in the countryside, a trip to Florida, attending musical concerts or following their grandchildren’s sporting events. He held a special place in his heart for his four-legged friends, Fenway and Buffett.

Herb was predeceased by his parents and two brothers, Paul and Hugh.

He is survived by his wife Sandy; two sons, Todd Guite (Jen Plunkett), of Windham, and Ryan Guite (Alison Lowe), of South Portland; four grandchildren, Sierra, Josh, Emma, and Declan Guite; one sister, Kathy Pelletier (Don), of Waterville; one brother, Bruce, of Colorado; and nieces and nephews Natalie, David, Kevin, and Sally.

A military service will be held at Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Civic Center Drive, in Augusta, on Tuesday, May 24, at 2 p.m.

Arrangements are Mid Maine Cremation Services (207) 453-6006.

In lieu of flowers, smile to a stranger or extend a random act of kindness, keeping this kind and gentle man in your heart.

ALTON R. GILL

WATERVILLE – Alton Richard Gill, 65, passed away peacefully, in his sleep, on Friday, April 22, 2022, following a long illness. He was born October 26, 1956, in Farmington, to Carl Alton Gill and Mary Cyr Gill.

He first lived on the family farm in New Sharon, before moving to Fairfield with his mother and brothers in 1963. Alton attended Winslow schools, then joined the U.S. Army, and also worked as a steel rigger, building submarines at General Dynamics’ Electric Boat Division, in Connecticut. He returned to Maine in the 1980s where he worked in restaurants, in maintenance for Winslow schools, and as a mill worker at Scott Paper Co., in Winslow.

Alton was a devoted family man who loved hunting and fishing, cooking and putting on a “feed” for friends and family. He also enjoyed music, history, art, and cruising on his motorcycle. His greatest passion however, the thing that fired him up the most, was being “on the road” picking antiques and collectibles. He was endlessly researching all manner of subjects and genuinely enjoyed sharing his knowledge with others. He was a licensed minister and having lived a full and grateful life, Alton looked forward to being with God.

He was predeceased by his father Carl Gill, brother Vincent Gill, baby brother and sister, Boyd Quentin and Marianne Rose.

Alton is survived by his mother, Mary Gower; the love of his life for 29 years, Barbara Livingstone; his daughter Selena Drake and grandson Anthony Vigue; stepchildren Brad and Melissa Vigue; Barbara’s children Abel and Micah, who were like sons to him; and his brothers: David Gill, Terence Gill, Francis Gill, and Ronald Gill.

Arrangements are under the care of Dan & Scott’s Cremation and Funeral Service (Skowhegan).

A graveside service will be held at Maplewood Cemetery, in Fairfield, on June 18, 2022, at 11 a.m. All are welcome to attend to bid Alton a fond farewell.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to MaineGeneral Health to benefit HomeCare & Hospice. Please send your gift to MaineGeneral Health, Office of Philanthropy, P.O. Box 828, Waterville, ME 04903-0828.

JEAN ACKLEY

WATERVILLE – Jean (Maker) Ackley, 86, passed away on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8, 2022, following a stroke. Born October 4, 1935, in Lubec, Jean was the daughter of Marjorie Foley Maker and Newell Maker.

Jean grew up in West Lubec and graduated Valedictorian from Lubec High School in 1954. Following graduation, she worked at the Lubec Water District in billing and bookkeeping, various local Sardine packing plants, and the Cutler Naval Base as secretary for the resident officer in charge.

It was while working at the Cutler Naval Base that she met Les Ackley at a July 3 Wesley dance that continued onto the Spruces’ dance that night. She often said they danced that night until the “dances ran out of music and they ran out of steam.” Jean and Les married in 1959, and recently celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary.

After three years in Massachusetts, Jean and Leslie resided in Fairfield and Waterville for their entire marriage.While in Fairfield, Jean was a school traffic guard, and often joked that she was traffic-control trained by Chief Gould and “Sargent” Judy Poulliot. Jean enjoyed playing in the Women’s Softball League, in Fairfield, for the short time it lasted. Her deer hunting adventures with Les and her brother, Ken, were inevitably followed by the tall tales that came post-November. Many a story were about Daniel, Rebecca and Israel – code names for those who stayed any number of nights at the “Skunk’s Den.”

Memories of Jean include her love of crows, adopting all stray cats that came her way, donations of her many calendars and stickers to the Mitchell School Kindergarten team, teaching her daughters to do “donuts” in snowy parking lots so they would know how to handle their cars in snow, naming her roses and flowering bushes after family members, and, of course, the terribly off-key but beautiful happy birthday songs sung by her and Les for those they loved.

Jean is survived by her husband, Les; and her children Kelli DuBose and husband Mike, of Falmouth, and Marjie McKenzie, of Waterville; her grandchildren Trevor Perry, of Waterville, and Naples, Florida, Lesli DuBose of Salem, Massachusetts, Nicholas DuBose and wife Julia, of Arlington, Virginia, Corey McKenzie and wife Allison, of Fairfield; great-grandson, Blake McKenzie; her brothers Jay and Marvin Maker; and her many nieces and nephews.

A private memorial service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, Jean asked that donations be made to The Ark Shelter, 60 Barber Lane, Cherryfield, ME 04622, or Cutler United Methodist Church, 2718 Cutler Rd., Cutler, ME 04626.

BRENDA L. SYLVESTER

OAKLAND – Brenda L. Sylvester, 63, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, May 8, 2022. Brenda was born in Waterville on March 20, 1959, the daughter of Leon and Frances (George) Doyon.

She graduated from Messalonskee High School, in Oakland, in 1977. Brenda went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in financial services from The University of Maine in Augusta and graduated summa cum laude in 2016.

Brenda made a positive impact on her community; she donated her time as a tutor with Literacy Volunteers and was a Maine Notary Public who officiated a multitude of wedding ceremonies. Brenda was a member of the Notre Dame Catholic Church, in Waterville. She was a hard worker who put in many years at the Cascade Woolen Mill, in Oakland, always providing for her family. She was later employed at Maine State Housing then Community Housing of Maine as a Project Development Officer and remained dedicated to the company up until her untimely death.

Brenda’s greatest joy came from her family. She took care of everyone she loved so completely and in ways they didn’t even know they needed. She was so organized, so put together, and so hard working. Everyone who walked into Brenda’s home was welcomed with open arms. Her home was a place for family and friends to gather and she made sure it was a place to be enjoyed. She created an atmosphere of love, one that went far beyond her home.

She was superwoman but refused to wear the cape, never wanting credit or to be in the spotlight. She made a positive impact on everyone she met and will be missed by so many.

She was predeceased by her father, Leon Doyon; her previous husband, Michael Perry; and her brother Andrew Doyon.

She is survived by her mother, Frances Doyon, of Oakland; her husband, Bruce Sylvester, of Oakland; two sons, Nicholas Perry and wife Jordan, of Hartland, and Paul Perry, of Oakland; three stepdaughters, Samantha Sylvester, Melissa Sylvester, and Ashley Sylvester, all of Oakland; a stepdaughter from her first marriage, Kathie Perry, of Indianapolis, Indiana; granddaughter Chloe Perry, of Hartland; two step-grandchildren, Carter Kennedy and Danica Duplisea, both of Hartland; six siblings, Cathy Routhier and husband Bill, of Fairfield, Darlene Doyon, of Oakland, Susan Snow, of Fairfield, Peter Doyon and wife Pamela, of Sidney, Carol Meader, of Raymond, and Sandra Trembly and husband Daniel, of Belgrade; her in-laws, Ira and Isabel Sylvester, from Melborne, Florida; her sister-in-law, Shona Cox, of Smyrna, Delaware; as well as many nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Visiting hours will be held at Wheeler Funeral Home, in Oakland, on Tuesday, May 24, from 6 – 8 p.m.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, May 25, at Notre Dame Catholic Church, 116 Silver St., in Waterville, at 9 a.m., with a graveside service to follow at Lewis Cemetery, in Oakland.

Arrangements are in the care of Wheeler Funeral Home, 26 Church Street, in Oakland, where memories may be shared, and an online register book signed by visiting http://www.lawrybrothers.com.

TERRY E. SPAULDING

Terry Elizabeth (Brown) Spaulding, 97, of Benton, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 28, 2022, in the farmhouse where she was born. She was born on November 17, 1924, to Harold and Helena (Boothby) Brown, the eldest of their three children who along with Bettina and Ross were a trio wherever they went.

She graduated from Lawrence High School, in Fairfield, in 1942, and continued her education at Westbrook Junior College, earning a secretarial degree which served her well over the years. It was in college that she became a talented roller skater, enjoying this hobby with twin friends, and meeting her first husband.

Later, after moving to California in the early 1950s, she met her second husband Harold E. Eastwood, and there they settled, raising their family of seven children. With her family, she then returned to Maine in 1968 to be a care giver to her parents for the remainder of their lives. Later, she continued this tradition of loving service by caring for Harold, and later, her last husband, Basil.

She was game at trying new things. Her adventures included a helicopter ride over Puget Sound in Washington state, climbing high up out on a crane boom in Kansas, braving the Kracken rollercoaster at Sea World, in Florida, riding the Zipper at the Clinton fair with her sister, Bettina, and canoeing on the Sebasticook River near her home.

She enjoyed spending time in her garden and sewing clothes for herself and her family. She also delighted in taking walks down to the river, down to the brook and back, or out to the Bellsqueeze.

She was a kind and gentle soul who saw the good in everyone. She was a proper lady who always impressed upon her children the importance of manners and etiquette. Her non-judgmental, humble and quiet ways gently taught others integrity through her example.

She was pre-deceased by daughters Deborah Brann and Danette Gower, son Peter Boothby, grandson Aaron Gower, great-grandson Brandin Landon, her sister, Bettina Young, and husbands Harold Eastwood and Basil Spaulding.

She is survived by her baby brother, Ross Brown, her children Rebecca Landon, Toni MacDougall, Tamara Cecil and Daniel J. Eastwood; 18 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild, many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

A graveside service will be held at the cemetery, in Benton, on Sunday, May 29, 2022, at noon, with a remembrance gathering to follow at the farmhouse.

LARRY D. ORCHARD

Larry Douglas Orchard, 67, passed away on May 5th, 2022 after fighting a courageous battle with cancer. He was born February 25, 1955, in Portland, to Kathleen Sylvia Darling Garlarneau, and he was later adopted by her husband Alan Orchard.

Larry grew up in Portland and Freeport. In 1984 he moved to Winslow and spent the rest of his life in this area. He started work training in Job Corps then worked in a shoe factory, at a child care center, as a gas attendant, and was a car mechanic for many people. Larry was the oldest of four children, his sisters Kathy and Amber plus brother Vaughan.

A loving father to his daughter, April Rumery, his three sons Aaron, Dylan, Dustin and also to Dustin’s fiancée Danielle Eames. He adored his grandchildren Christin, Katie, Tommy, Eli, Johnathan, Jude and his great-granddaughter, Amelia. There is a large group of extended family, friends and relatives, too many to count, who were also loved by Larry.

His favorite spot in Maine is Spring Lake. He would snowmobile there from Winslow or bring the whole family by car. Larry was a strong arm wrestler and chess player. He was a philosopher in many people’s lives, he left a positive influence or impression on all the people he met. His friends become family. He is also known as a great mechanic, a car driver, a boat captain, a true friend and a loving parent. No matter what the issue, Larry was never more than a phone call away if you ever needed help.

May we bless this grateful soul and may he rest in blissful peace looking….. watching over us all.

Larry was predeceased by his parents and brother Vaughan. There will be a celebration of his life at the Oak Grove Chapel, located on the corner of Route 201 and Oak Grove Rd., Vassalboro, ME 04989, on Saturday, May 28, 2022, at 2:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers please make a donation to a charity of your choice in his name.

LETTERS: Soccer parents support Tuminaro

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To the editor:

We are writing to show our support for Jennifer Tuminaro as she runs for public office. As the soccer coach for Solid Rock, Jen leads humbly, giving clear instruction while coming alongside to help guide those around her. Coach Tuminaro embodies what it means to be a servant leader. She is not afraid of getting down in the trenches with people. She can be seen doing intense drills and exercises alongside the team, even on a 90-degree day, leading by example and showing them that they can do hard things.

We have also observed her on the sidelines engaging with kids and parents alike, some of who are traversing hardships in life, while offering a listening ear and compassionate heart. She is the loudest voice on the field cheering our kids on, and she motivates our children to a standard of excellence, both on and off the field. Coach Tuminaro has a passion for the success of the next generation, inspiring our youth to be leaders and young men and women of integrity.

When problems arise, Jen seeks solutions and is not afraid to ask for help if needed. An example of this was when Covid affected sports throughout Maine. Coach Tuminaro, who is also the athletic director and representative for the MCSSL Sports League, spent countless hours making phone calls, keeping up on ever-changing protocols, and found ways where we could safely participate in the soccer season. It was a daunting task but one she pursued ardently. Her hard work was reflected on the smiling faces of our children as they were able to participate in group sports in this unprecedented time of isolation.

One of Jen’s many strengths is that she is a great communicator who has a heart to hear and understand others, even those whom she may not agree with. This important skill, coupled with her respect for people of all ages and stages, makes her very approachable. Jennifer Tuminaro inspires others to be the best versions of themselves. She is the kind of leader who can capably handle the hard issues of our day while also remaining kindhearted and accessible. Jennifer Tuminaro is a breath of fresh air in the polluted world of politics.

The Solid Rock Soccer parents
China

Windsor select board OKs purchase of new tanker truck

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by The Town Line staff

WINDSOR, ME — At their April 12 meeting, the Windsor Select Board unanimously gave the go ahead for Town Manager Theresa Haskell to sign the contract with Greenwood Emergency Vehicles LLC for the purchase of the new E-One/Freightliner Tanker for the Windsor Volunteer Fire Department.

In other business, Road Supervisor Keith Hall informed the select board that the public works department is preparing to begin shoulder repair on town roads. They will be fixing the culvert on Coopers Mills Road and do some ditching on Legion Park Road. Hall will also be contacting the state Department of Transportation about repairs on the end of the Crosby Road, since it is a state road.

Public works also reported the posted road signs have been removed.

Haskell reported the transfer station numbers for the month. Revenues are down $278.80 from the same time last year, and up $863.84 for this time in April of last year for a monthly total of $5,961.70.

The select board approved a blood drive be scheduled by KVCAP this spring.

The town received a proclamation from the Maine State Senate congratulating the members of the Veterans Memorial Monument Committee on being honored with a 2021 Spirit of America Foundation Award.

The select board went into executive session for approximately 23 minutes to discuss personnel matters.

The next meeting was scheduled for April 26.

CHINA: Road paving plan to use chip seal process

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by Mary Grow

CHINA, ME — China Director of Public Services Shawn Reed has consensus support from the town Road Committee for his paving plans for this summer, which involve extensive use of chip seal rather than asphalt resurfacing (see The Town Line, May 12, p. 2).

Reed and Doug Fowler, representing All States Construction, of Richmond, the company to which select board members awarded the paving bid on May 9, explained the process to the committee

A road is first shimmed, given a coat that evens its surface. Fowler said sometimes as much as four inches of shim are needed where years of traffic have created ruts in the pavement. The shim coat cures for 30 days; then chip seal, an emulsion with hard rock embedded, is applied.

After a few days the road is swept to move any loose rock into the ditches. Fowler said All States will do the sweeping, twice if necessary.

China’s South Road is chip sealed, and Reed is pleased with the way it is holding up so far. He and Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said they received two types of comments after the road was done.

Because the shim surface was so smooth, drivers questioned why the road was surfaced again after a month, Reed said. Hapgood added that until the loose rocks were gone, motorcyclists complained.

Reed plans this year to resurface all or parts of McCaslin Road, Dutton Road, Danforth Road, Pleasant View Ridge Road, Morrill Road (to the Winslow town line) Causeway Street, Canton Street, Peking Street and Neck Road.

He recommends asphalt resurfacing only on Peking, Canton and Causeway streets. Because Pleasant View Ridge Road is heavily traveled, he is considering a double coat of chip seal on the part scheduled, which runs east and then south from Lakeview Drive about to McCaslin Road.

Chip seal is less expensive than asphalt, so at present prices the planned work can be done within the proposed 2022-23 paving budget of $560,000. However, Reed and Fowler said, prices are rising weekly, and China’s contract with All States has an escalator clause allowing the company to raise its prices as its costs go up.

The paving budget includes road striping, and Reed commented that the price.

Ira Michaud chosen as new VCS principal

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

VASSALBORO, ME — At a brief special meeting May 10, Vassalboro School Board members unanimously hired Ira Michaud as the new principal at Vassalboro Community School (VCS).

Michaud will take office July 1, succeeding Megan Allen, who resigned earlier this spring and plans to return to teaching.

He is currently ending his first year as principal at Nobleboro Central School, in Alternative Educational Structure (AOS) #93, which serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Before that, he said, he was principal for four years at Edgecomb Eddy Elementary, a pre-school through sixth-grade school in AOS #98.

Michaud was born in Windsor, some of his family lived in Vassalboro, and, he told school board members, 23 years ago he did his practicum (his first, supervised practice teaching) in Vassalboro. Now, he said, he is excited at this new opportunity.

Vassalboro’s 16-person search team chose Michaud from more than a dozen candidates, about half of whom they interviewed. The team included school officials and staff and town representatives, some of them parents of VCS students.

Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer and school board member Jessica Clark said the search team members were unanimous and enthusiastic in their choice. Clark said when she asked for negative comments, she got none.

Pfeiffer said the same search team, with Michaud involved, has begun the process of finding a new assistant principal to succeed Greg Hughes, who resigned shortly after Allen did.

Pfeiffer has already begun talking with his opposite number in AOS #93 about making Michaud’s transition as smooth as possible from the Nobleboro end.

Vassalboro select board approves paving bid with All States Construction; postpone buying new truck

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by Mary Grow

VASSALBORO, ME — Public works issues – 2022 paving plans and the need for a new truck – were the main topics at the May 12 Vassalboro select board meeting.

Road Foreman Gene Field said Vassalboro received seven bids for road repaving this summer, all higher than the proposed 2022-23 budget can completely cover. He recommended accepting the low bid, $86.90 per ton of asphalt mix, from All States Construction, of Richmond.

Field said Vassalboro and China bid out the work jointly, as the two adjoining towns have done in previous years. China also chose All States, with plans to use a process called chip seal on some roads instead of repaving with a new asphalt coat (see “The Town Line”, May 12, p. 2, and related [china road]article p ).

All States representative Doug Fowler explained to Vassalboro board members that chip seal involves first shimming the road to cover ruts and make a smooth surface. After the shim coat sets, a process that takes about 30 days, chip seal adds an emulsion with hard stone packed into it to create a final surface.

The chip seal coat is normally about 3/8 inch thick, but it can be doubled. A single coat costs about one-third the cost of an inch of asphalt, Fowler said; he expects it to last seven to nine years.

He and Field agreed if they use the shim plus chip seal process, Field can expect calls from puzzled residents asking why a road that was done a month ago is being repaved. Field has reservations about the quality and longevity of chip seal, though he said he had looked at the chip sealed South Road, in China, and it seems satisfactory after two years.

If Vassalboro were to choose chip seal, he recommended a double coat on Legion Park Road, which he called about the worst one on the 2022 list.

Another problem is scheduling. Field said his crew needs time to replace culverts on some roads. Fowler said his preference is to have roads shimmed by about July 15 and chip-sealed by Aug. 30 (or the chip seal coat postponed to the next spring). Town Manager Mary Sabins said payment is usually due within 30 days of completion, and Vassalboro’s first 2022-23 tax payments won’t be due until Sept. 26, 2022 (assuming voters approve the recommended dates at the Monday, June 6, annual town meeting).

Select board members unanimously approved awarding the paving bid to All States. They agreed that decisions on whether, and if so, where to use chip seal would be left to Field, expressing their confidence in his judgment.

Field told the board because of supply and price issues, the truck reserve fund is no longer adequate to cover the new town truck he recommends. Dealers aren’t seeking bids for new trucks, he said; they notify potential buyers when one might be available. If he were able to order a truck chassis in August, he might get it in October or November; then a body would need to be added.

Sabins added that with the stock market losses, Vassalboro’s reserve funds are declining. She said Vassalboro’s investment advisor had recommended cashing out the fire truck reserve, which was already about $800 too low to cover the pending lease payment, and putting the money in a certificate of deposit.

Field had planned to keep the 2009 truck that is being replaced as a back-up. One option to provide more money would be to trade it in or to sell it. Another option would be to ask voters on June 6 to increase the proposed 2022-23 public works budget.

By consensus, select board members decided to postpone a decision on buying a truck until after town meeting.

Field and Sabins reported that planned improvements at the transfer station were under way, but not finished.

In response to a resident’s request, Field said he did a speed survey on Hussey Hill Road with a radar sign and sent results to Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) Commissioner David Allen. Select board members voted unanimously to ask MDOT to do a speed assessment on the road.

Hussey Hill Road is currently unposted, making the speed limit 45 miles an hour. MDOT officials have power to post a limit they consider appropriate.

The May 14 meeting opened with a public hearing on Codes Officer Ryan Page’s recommended increases in permit fees. Page briefly explained the reasons for the recommendations; there were no public comments, and select board members unanimously approved the new schedule, making the increases effective July 1.

Two other matters briefly discussed and postponed until after town meeting were whether to adopt a salary schedule for town employees, as discussed at earlier board meetings (see the report on the March 3 Vassalboro Budget Committee meeting in the March 10 issue of The Town Line, p. 3); and a request to start building a parking lot at the planned streamside park on Route 32 north of East Vassalboro.

The next regular Vassalboro select board meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, June 9, three days after the annual town meeting. It will be Board Chairman Robert Browne’s last meeting; he is not seeking re-election on June 14. Rick Denico, Jr., is the only candidate on the ballot for a select board seat.