Captain Lawrence Caney

Captain Lawrence Caney, Navy retired, died on Nov. 20, 2009, at Fairfax Inova Hospital in Fairfax, Virginia. He was 88.

Born and raised in Gardiner, Maine, he attended Bowdoin College and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis with the class of 1943.

Capt. Caney wore the Navy uniform for 40 years and was the last officer in his Naval Academy class to retire from active duty. Most of his service was in destroyers, serving in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. During World War II, he participated in the invasions of North Africa, Normandy and southern France. He participated in the Vietnam War as a destroyer squadron commander.

Twenty-eight years of his Navy career were spent at sea or overseas. He had six sea commands. Overseas assignments included Europe and a Caspian Sea Port in northern Iran where, in the 1970s, he developed and implemented a training program for the Imperial Iranian Navy.

Capt. Caney's shore assignments in the United States included the Naval War College; the Pentagon, where he played a responsible role in the development of the Spruance-class destroyer; and command of the Naval Training Center at Bainbridge, Md.

In 1990, he wore the uniform for the last time when he was the guest speaker at the decommissioning of the guided missile destroyer DDG-7, which he placed in commission 30 years earlier as the first commanding officer.

His decorations included the Legion of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, the Bronze Star Medal with combat V, the Army Commendation and Joint Service Commendation Medal and various campaign medals.

Following his Naval service, he returned to Maine in 1981 and took up gardening and the piano. For over 30 years he lived in Wiscasset.

He is survived by two sons, Lawrence D. Jr. and John F., both of Valley Center, Calif.; one daughter, Ellen Mugg, of Mooresville, N.C.; his sister, Imogene Caney Fair, of Louisville, Miss.; four grandchildren and two great-grandsons.

His wife of 55 years, the former Ann Pomerleau, predeceased him in 1998. In 2005, he married Marjorie Dudley Corle, of Alexandria.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, December 9^th at 3 p.m. at the Staples Funeral Home 53 Brunswick Ave., Gardiner.

George N. Brewer

George Norman Brewer died November 6, 2009 at his home in North Lauderdale, Florida.   He was born in Boothbay Harbor May 25, 1930, the son of Harold Brewer and Ruth Sherman Brewer, attended Boothbay Region schools, and relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1957.  

  His parents and sister, Eldena F. Lowell, predeceased him.

Surviving are his wife of 62 years, Dolores Virginia Brewer, and their four children, Carol Winters, Dale Brewer, Terry Ann Brewer of North Lauderdale and Norman Brewer and his wife, Yadi, of Homosassa, Florida and their families,  ten grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren.  

  He is also survived by his three brothers, Allen of Edgecomb, Earl of Boothbay Harbor, Bo of Boothbay and their wives and families.   

  He loved his hometown of Boothbay Harbor and summered here for many years after his retirement.  There will be a memorial service for him this summer and his ashes will be spread upon the waters that he loved so much.    

David G. Toll, 82, of Auburn, New Hampshire and Southport, died at home on Sunday, December 6th. 

Mr. Toll was born in Passaic, New Jersey on April 21, 1927, son of the late Karel and Ruth (Greenlie) Toll. He retired after 25 years teaching advanced high school mathemathics in Rutherford, New Jersey.  

In addition to doing math, Mr. Toll loved playing mini golf at Dolphin Mini Golf in Boothbay, where he set the course record of 29.  

Mr. Toll leaves his daughter, Ellen Purcell, son-in-law Robert Purcell, and his grandchildren Danielle Parisi, Amanda Purcell, and Ryan Purcell, all of Auburn, New Hampshire.  Mr. Toll also leaves his siblings, Karel Toll of New Castle, Delaware, Barbara Stille of West Caldwell, New Jersey, and Jean Toll of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

All services are private at the request of the family and the Peabody Funeral Homes & Crema-torium of Derry, New Hampshire is handling the arrangements for the family. 

Donations in memory of Mr. Toll may be directed to either the Southport Maine Fire Department at 437 Hendricks Hill Road, Southport, ME 04576 or the Auburn New Hampshire Fire and EMT, 6 Pingree Hill Road, Auburn, NH 03032. To send a condolence or for more information, please visit www.pea bodyfuneralhome.com