Search Archived Marriage Records
Frank 'Rip' Rackliff
SPRUCE HEAD - Frank "Rip" Rackliff, 92, died April 23, 2006 surrounded by his family at the Knox Center for Long-Term Care in Rockland after a brief period of declining health.
Born in Spruce Head on May 7, 1913, he was the son of Eugene and Lillian F. Warren Rackliff. Educated in local schools, he graduated from St. George High School in 1930.
On Aug. 26, 1939, he married Alice Alley in Rockland. Together they raised their family at their Cline Road home. Frank cared for Alice at home for many years during her struggle with kidney disease before she died on May 20, 1990.
On Oct. 12, 1991, he married Vada Alley Bowness in Owls Head.
Frank spent his career lobstering and seining for herring off Hewitts Island and lobstering in his favorite place, Wheelers Bay. Last year, he was recognized as the oldest active lobsterman on the Maine coast. He received a certificate from the Maine Senate and House of Representatives honoring his contributions to his community and his spirit of hard work and independence at the Fishermen's Memorial Ceremony in June 2003.
A 61-year member of the Eureka Lodge of Masons No. 84 in St. George, he was raised in 1945 and was a member of all the bodies of the Scottish
Rite. He was a master of Wiley's Corner Grange, a member of the First Baptist Church of St. George and the Good Sam's Club.
Frank was predeceased by his first wife, Alice Alley; his son Gary W. Rackliff; two sisters, Evelyn Archer and Louise Wall; his brother Bernard; and his wife's great-aunt, Mabel Gallant, who lived with Frank and Alice for many years after her husband's passing.
He is survived by his wife, Vada; two sons, Douglas A. and his wife Lynda Rackliff and Paul B. and his wife Deborah Rackliff; his brother, Alvin Rackliff; two step-children, Neil Hoffses of Florida and Donna Belyea and her husband Steve of Owls Head; ten grandchildren, Eric Rackliff, Nick Rackliff, Brett Rackliff and his wife Carol, Andrea Hall and her husband Sam, Valerie Hilchey and her husband Garrett, Amy Robinson and her husband James, Ted LeClair, Todd LeClair, Gary Rackliff Jr. and Jamie Moody; eight great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Visiting hours will be held Saturday, April 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home at 110 Limerock St. in Rockland. A Masonic service will be conducted at 7 p.m. A graveside service will be held Sunday, April 30 at 1 p.m. at Ocean View cemetery on Route 73 in South Thomaston.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the St. George Fire and Ambulance Association, P.O. Box 249, Tenants Harbor, ME 04860.
Florence J. Good
CAMDEN - Florence Johnson Good, 86, of Camden died Sunday, April 23, 2006 at the Maine Medical Center after complications from a fall.
Born March 13, 1920 in Tenants Harbor, Florence was the daughter of Ernest and Olga Johnson. Florence graduated from Rockland High School and attended Boston College. She married John S. Good, raised her family in Camden and worked into her 70s at Tibbetts Industries.
Upon retirement, Florence focused her abundant energy on her bed and breakfast, the Good House, and her family she dearly loved. She developed long-lasting friendships with her guests, many repeatedly returning for her special breakfasts and blueberry muffins. She was happiest when cooking in her kitchen for family, friends and guests and took pride in her guests' reviews in travel magazines about the bed and breakfast and her hospitality.
At the time of her fall, she was looking forward to the summer guest season and the graduation of her granddaughter from Colby College and grandson from the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine. She was a loving and proud mother, grandmother and friend. She will be remembered for her complete selflessness and devotion to all her family and friends.
Florence was predeceased by her son, Paul James Good; her daughter, Joan R. Good; her sister, Ruth Knowlton; her brother, Donald Johnson; and her husband, John S. Good.
She is survived by her special loving friend and partner, Walter Sukeforth of Camden; her daughter Kathy Pinkham and husband, David of Cape Elizabeth; her daughter, Mary Jane Good and partner George Gendron of Machias; grandchildren, Kristen and D.J. Pinkham and Brendan and Patrick Hallissey; her sisters, Agnes McCullough and her husband Jack and Marion Mank; and several nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Rockport Animal Rescue League.
A celebration of her life will be held Saturday, April 29 at 11 a.m. at the Robert E. Laite Funeral Home at 9 Mountain St in Camden.
Brandon J. Cunningham
THOMASTON - Brandon J. Cunningham, 21, died peacefully in his sleep Saturday, April 22, 2006.
Born Aug. 14, 1984 in Corning, N.Y., he was the son of Dennis J. and Gloria J. Fenner Cunningham.
When he was 15 months old, Brandon moved to Maine with his family. He attended Thomaston schools and was a 2003 graduate of Georges Valley High School. While a student, he was goalie for the soccer team and played on the basketball team. Brandon also attended Mid-Coast School of Technology, where he earned the nickname "Mopar."
Following graduation, Brandon attended the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Orlando, Fla. Engine repair was Brandon's passion and he hoped to make it a career. Brandon will be remembered as the go-to guy for small engine repair. He was an avid repairman and could always be found working on his own or his friends' ATVs.
For the past 6 months, Brandon was employed at Logan Woodbridge Builders and spent many hours working alongside his father.
Brandon and his father recently purchased new motorcycles. They both enjoyed the time they spend riding. His family remembers that since his purchase, the smile had not left his face.
An animal lover, Brandon had a special attraction for all animals. Even animals that were not particularly fond of people were drawn to him.
In November 2005, Brandon joined the U.S. Navy on the delayed entry program. He was scheduled to leave for basic training on June 7, 2006. He planned to train for jet engine repair.
Brandon was predeceased by his maternal grandmother, Evelyn Fenner in 2005; his uncle, Robert Cunningham in 2002; and his beloved family dog, Bella in 2005.
He is survived by his parents, Dennis and Gloria Cunningham of Thomaston; his sisters, Hilary Cunningham and her boyfriend Travis Dodge of Warren and Carolyn Cunningham and her fiancé Randal Chastain of Hinsdale, N.H.; his paternal grandparents, Robert and Jacquelyn Cunningham of Warren, Penn.; his maternal grandfather, Harold Fenner of Bath, N.Y.; his best friends, Jimmy Davenport of Cushing and Josh Shepard of Cushing; and several aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
Family and friends are invited to visit from 5 to 8 p.m., Thursday, April 27, 2006 at Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland, where a celebration of his life will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, April 28, 2006.
Memorial donations may be made to the Knox County Humane Society, P.O. Box 1294, Rockland, ME 04841.
Charlotte Williams
THOMASTON - Charlotte Williams, 92, died Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at the Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport after a brief illness.
Charlotte was born May 19, 1913 in Rockland, the daughter of George A. and Ellen Kent Wardwell. She graduated from Rockland High School and Rockland Commercial College.
An active community member, she was a member of the Thomaston Baptist Church and volunteered as a Grey Lady at the Togus Veterans Hospital for many years.
She was an avid collector of antiques -- specializing in dolls -- and was a member of the Olentangy Valley Doll Collectors Club of Ohio and the United Federation of Doll Clubs. Charlotte loved to sew and read and was well known for her great cooking.
She is predeceased by her husband Percy Williams, who died in 1980.
Charlotte is survived by her son, Robert Williams and his wife Dianne of New Harbor; her daughter, Jean Hoyt and her husband Ken of Thomaston; five grandchildren, Linda Hoyt of Friendship, Julie Sheehan of Columbus, Ohio, Andrea Tobin of Framingham, Mass., Pam Antoisiewicz of Brookfield, Conn. and Christopher Williams of Round Pond; two great grandchildren, Jennifer Cunningham of Redondo Beach, Calif. and Benjamin Wright of Columbus, Ohio.; three very special friends, Marlene Burns, Charlene Anderson and Ellen Collamore; and Scooter her granddog.
Family and friends are invited to visit with the family on Saturday, April 29 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Hall and Bibber Funeral Home at 78 Main St. in Thomaston. The Rev. Wayne Sawyer will officiate the graveside service on Saturday, April 29 at 11 a.m. at the Village cemetery in Thomaston.
Memorial donations may be made to the Knox County Humane Society, PO Box 1294, Rockland, ME 04841.
Erma G. Madaras
SEARSPORT - Erma G. Madaras, 85, of Searsport and Bangor, died peacefully April 25, 2006, at her home surrounded by family, including Elwyn and his wife, Donna, and her granddaughter, Shanon. She was born Jan. 6, 1921, in Island Falls, the daughter of Clarence and Gladys (McFarland) Gould.
Erma was a nurse at BMHI for 13 years. She spoke kindly of her years there and of the many friends she made. She then became a traveling nurse and went all over the United States. Erma spent her retirement years traveling with her sister, Ruth. She then settled into her home in Searsport, where she spent her remaining years with her beloved cat "Babe" and a book in her hand.
Much love is given to her adopted family next door: Steven Moulton, Anne Moulton, "Stevy" and their daughter, Tina, for all they did for their adopted Grammy.
In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, John Madaras; three sons, John Madaras II, Robert Higgins and Howard Higgins.
She is survived by one sister, Ruth Glidden (Eifer); and a brother, Raymond Gould and his wife, Florence. She was the beloved mother of Elwyn "Red" Higgins and his wife, Donna, Ronald Higgins and his wife, Margot, Erma Evans and her husband, John, Rodney Higgins and wife, Lori, Philip Higgins and his wife, Tammy, Laszlo Madaras and his wife, Emma, and Balint Madaras; many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, whom she loved very much.
Friends may call 6-8 p.m. Friday, April 28, at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor, where a funeral service will be celebrated at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 30, with Pastor Steve MacLeod, of the United Methodist Church of Searsport, officiating. Interment will be in Pine Grove Cemetery, Bangor, at a later date.
Francis Leroy Porter Sr.
WINTERPORT - Francis Leroy Porter Sr., 80, husband of the late Leona Porter, who predeceased him in 2000, died April 27, 2006, at a Bangor hospital. He was born May 31, 1925, in Newburgh, the son of Orman Llywellyn and Edith Lillian (Dunn) Porter.
Francis owned and operated Fran’s Towing with the help of his son, Kenneth, for a number of years.
He leaves behind eight children who loved him dearly and will miss him with all their hearts. Surviving are daughters, Margaret Fisher and her husband, Bill, of Swansville, Barbara Deighan and her boyfriend, Dorrance Atherton, of Blue Hill, Suzanne Beale and her husband, Keith, of Winterport, Mary Wentworth and her boyfriend, Gorden Gross, of Bucksport, and Sarah Porter of Bangor; sons, Francis Porter Jr. and his wife, Anna, of South Carolina, Kenneth Porter Sr. and his wife, Karen, of Winterport, Ronald Porter and his girlfriend, Darlene Tibbetts, of Pittsfield; many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews; a special cribbage friend, Arland Connors of Winterport; and friends, Galen and Julie Mayhew of Carmel. In addition to the love of his life, Leona, he was predeceased by his infant brother, Ortho Porter of Newburgh; his sister, Pauline Kelly of Winterport; and his parents.
Friends may call 6-8 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor, where a funeral service will be held 11:30 a.m. Sunday, April 30, with Rev. Dr. Rex H. Garrett, director of chaplaincy services at EMMC, officiating. Interment will be in the Ellingwood Corner cemetery in Winterport.
Those who wish to remember Francis in a special way may make gifts in his memory to Eastern Maine Charities, care of EMMC, P.O. Box 404, Bangor, ME 04402.
Anthony 'Tony' Faunce
OWLS HEAD - Anthony "Tony" Faunce died May 28, 2006.
He was born May 23, 1916. He married Mary Gill in 1947 who predeceased him in 1977.
Tony resided in Lincoln, Mass. and Owls Head. After graduating from Noble & Greenough School and Harvard University in the class of 1937, he served in the Navy during World War II with a ship command in the Pacific.
He was a senior partner of John C. Paige and Co., a national insurance brokerage firm until 1968 when he was appointed assistant secretary of state: inspector general of foreign assistance where he served from 1969 to 1973.
He served on the Board of Directors of Boston Chamber of Commerce and the World Trade Center; was Chairman, MA-Antioquia (Colombia) Partners of the Americas; and was managing director of Executive Service Corps.
Tony was always interested in political and civic activities and was the chairman of the campaign of Congressman Bradford Morse and also worked on the campaigns of Bill Cohen, Dave Emory and John McKernan. He worked with various service clubs and other groups to discuss the financial problems of Social Security and work on finding solutions.
Tony was known to be a very good dancer. He could be happily found operating his tractor on Monroe Island.
He is survived by his four daughters, Amy Faunce of Camden, Jeannette Faunce and her husband Jamie Oates of Belmont, Jessena Hayward and her husband Douglas Hayward of Rockport and Sandra Faunce and her husband David Lafreniere of Lincolnville and several grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to local land trusts. There will be a celebration of life on Sunday, June 4 at 2 p.m. at the Faunce home in Owls Head.
Arrangements are with the Cremation Services of Maine in Belfast.
Adeline J. Gasparini
NEWCASTLE - Adeline J. Gasparini, 72, died May 28, 2006 at her home in Newcastle.
She was born Aug. 9, 1933 in Passaic, N.J., the daughter of Adam and Jean (Vander Horn) Papciok.
After graduating from Paterson Commercial College, she began a career in banking until retiring in 1992 as assistant secretary for Oceanfirst Financial Corp. of Toms River, N.J.
She was a parishioner of Saint Patrick's Church in Newcastle, a member of the Newcastle-Damariscotta Woman's Club, served as a volunteer at Miles Memorial Hospital and was an avid collector of antiques, china and glassware.
Adeline is survived by her husband of 51 years, John N. Gasparini of Newcastle; her sister Arlene and husband John Levendusky; her nephews, John and Ronald Levendusky; and her niece, Jo Ann and husband Barry Wehner all of Brick Township, N.J.
Friends are invited to a service to honor Adeline, 2pm, Friday June 2, at Saint Patrick's Church, Newcastle, Reverend Fred Irving officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Society for the Cure of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Executive Plaza III, 11350 McCormick Rd., Suite 906, Hunt Valley, MD 21031.
Arrangements are with the Strong Funeral Home in Damariscotta.
John Paul Drury
SOUTH THOMASTON - John Paul Drury, 88, a resident of Drury Lane, died Sunday, May 28, 2006 at Shore Village in Rockland after a brief illness.
He was born on March 4, 1918 in Norwalk, Conn., the son of Gertrude Keunert and Joseph Drury. He grew up in Darien, Conn. and was a graduate of Darien High School.
In 1942, he joined the U.S. Air Force during World War II, where he met his wife Maxine. They were married in the chapel in Roswell, N.M. and worked together in the office of Aircraft Inspection, making sure aircraft were ready to fly. He was discharged in 1945.
After his discharge, they returned to Darien where he went back to his previous employer, Pitney Bowes, working his way up to general manger of assembly and retiring after 37 years. At that time they moved to their current home in South Thomaston.
His interests included wood sculpture, arts and crafts and building and renovating with his son, which kept him active. "Jack" was a friend to all and will be greatly missed.
He is predeceased by his brother, Joseph Drury of Scottsdale, Ariz. and his sister, Joan Freeman of N.H.
He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Maxine Cole Drury of South Thomaston; his son, Creighton Drury and his wife Elizabeth of South Thomaston; his daughter, Donna Van Keuren and her husband Jeff of North Kingstown, R.I.; his sisters, Marie Northrop of South Dennis, Mass., Dolores Dashnaw of South Dennis, Mass. and Nancy Drury of North Kingstown, R.I.; and his grandchildren, Holly and Amy Van Keuren of North Kingstown, R.I. and Evan, Cyrus and Quillen Hannibal of Hope.
Visitations will be held Thursday, June 1, 2006 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Hall & Bibber Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Thomaston ME. A graveside service will be held Friday June 2, 2006 at 9 a.m. at the Maine Veterans' Memorial Cemetery, Mount Vernon Rd., Augusta, ME.
Memorial donations may be made to the Salvation Army, P.O. Box 586, Rockland, ME 04841.
Arrangements are with the Hall & Bibber Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Thomaston.
