Let’s pause and look back on 2025, remembering those we lost and the meaningful contributions they made helping shape our community.   

We’ll begin with Waldo Pitcher, 82, who passed away Aug. 26.  Born in Wiscasset on Feb. 6, 1943, "Wally," as he was known to his family and friends, proudly served his country as a member of the United States Navy. He spent a good deal of his working career as an engineer at Bath Iron Works. For years, Wally was active in Bradford-Sortwell-Wright Post 54 of the American Legion. He could always be counted on to appear alongside his fellow Legionnaires at Wiscasset’s veterans’ wall of remembrance on Memorial Day, and marching with Post 54’s color guard on the Fourth of July. Wally had wanted very much to visit Washington, D.C. as part of “Honor Flight Maine” but sadly passed away two weeks before the scheduled trip.

Carl W. Albright, 84, died Aug. 16, surrounded by family at his home in Edgecomb. When I first knew him, Carl was principal of the former Eddy School on Cross Point Road next door to the congregational church.  Along with being the chief administrator, Carl also taught first and second grades there and drove the school bus, too, if the need arose. After retiring from education, Carl became a Certified Nursing Assistant working at a nursing home, at Miles Memorial Hospital, and Miles Home Health & Hospice and greatly admired and respected by his peers. 

On Oct. 29, we lost Mary Seigars of Wiscasset. She was 87.  For years, Mary and her late husband Jim owned and operated Jim’s Auto Trim in the big red barn on Route One where Jim also had a towing business. They lived in the house attached to the barn. Mary lived most of her life in Maine’s Prettiest Village and was a graduate of Wiscasset High School. Both she and Jim were active in Bradford-Sortwell-Wright Post 54 of the American Legion; Mary being a member of the Ladies Auxiliary and Jim serving as Post 54 Commander.  

Timothy Frank James, 71, of Wiscasset died on Aug. 26. Timmy worked for 41 years at Bath Iron Works. When he wasn’t working at the shipyard, he was often on the mudflats digging clams. He enjoyed playing basketball and for many years could be counted on to play in the recreation department’s men’s league. Timmy resided for years on Old Bath Road and was a big supporter of Wiscasset High School athletics. He was from a large family; with six brothers and a half-sister.  For more years than anyone can remember, Tim was part of Wiscasset’s Shellfish Committee, serving several terms as its chairman. The committee is responsible for the management of the town’s clamming flats and clam seeding.  

Wallace “Wally” Roby of Wiscasset lived a long, active life. He was 98 and his wife Nancy was there when he passed away peacefully at home on Aug. 25. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II, and graduate of the University of Maryland. Mr. Roby spent much of his working career teaching young people and serving as an educational consultant. He earned a Ph.D. in education from the University of Connecticut in 1972.  He and Nancy were active and devoted members of First Congregational Church of Wiscasset, United Church of Christ. I’ll miss his warm smile and sense of humor. 

For 28 years, Joan B. Reed ran the kitchen at Wiscasset High School cooking and feeding students and staff.  She was 89 when she died peacefully on Aug. 20, at St Andrews Village in Boothbay. Born in Wiscasset, Feb. 28, 1936, to Forrest and Josephine (Sutter) Johnson, Joan was one of the few residents left who could say they attended the one-room school house once located on Birch Point Road.  In 1953, she graduated from the former Wiscasset Academy, a two-story wooden building that was once located behind the current elementary school. Joan and her late husband Cecil Reed lived on West Alna Road where they raised their family. Joan’s daughter Katie (Reed) Bryant now mans the kitchen at Wiscasset Middle High School.  

Ethel Stansfield of Wiscasset was known for her generosity and devotion to her family, friends and students. She passed away on July 8.  “Miss Ethel," as she came to be known, is fondly remembered by the many young people she mentored in her 40-year association with Sheepscot Valley Children’s House, a Montessori-based preschool on Federal Street, Wiscasset. Originally from Akron, Ohio, Ethel was a graduate of Kenyon College in Ohio. She and her late husband Edward Stansfield moved to Wiscasset in 1977 settling in an historic home on Washington Street where they hosted many memorable Christmas parties. 

On June 2, we lost Sandra Griffin of Edgecomb. She was 85. A graduate of the prestigious Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, Sandy was a gifted painter and sketch artist. She had a love of the outdoors and gardening, too. When I first met Sandy, she and her late husband Russell Griffin were running not one, but two businesses both located in Edgecomb off Route 27. One was Russell Griffin & Sons Construction, the other being Griffin’s Nursery. Sandy had a wonderful sense of humor and kind smile. Sandy and Russ were devoted to their twin sons, Scott and Greg, and their grandchildren. 

In the later part of April, the Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper reported the passing of Irving J. "IJ” Pinkham, 78, of East Boothbay. For two generations, Coach Pinkham and Boothbay Region High School boys’ basketball were synonymous. But IJ Pinkham was more than a coach, he was also a devoted math teacher who touched hundreds of young lives in a positive and meaningful way.  After graduating from the University of Maine Farmington in 1969, IJ Pinkham began his teaching and coaching career at Buckfield High School. In 1976, he found a new home at BRHS where he remained for over three decades. After retiring in 2017, IJ stayed on to coach the basketball team. He left the court as the winningest coach in Maine boys’ basketball history with an extraordinary 659 victories, a legacy that included leading the Boothbay Seahawks to a Class C State Championship in 2001. He was devoted to his wife Peggy and his family.

Charles “Charlie” Reed Sr. of Alna, a longtime resident of Wiscasset, passed away peacefully April 9, surrounded by his family and just a few months shy of his 83rd birthday.  Charlie Reed left Wiscasset High School in his junior year to join the U.S. Army, his military service including a tour in West Germany. His service record included receiving two letters of commendation and achieving the status of Expert Rifleman M-14. Following his honorable discharge, Mr. Reed returned to Wiscasset and married Gertrude “Peanut” Teele and raised four children. For a number of years, Charlie Reed was BIW’s lead man overseeing the operation of the shipyard’s massive red and white crane and local landmark. When Charlie wasn’t working at BIW, he might be found on the mudflats, clamming or worm digging. He greatly enjoyed being outdoors hunting, fishing and camping upcountry.    

In early April, over a hundred people crowded into the historic Edgecomb Community Church to celebrate the life of Thomas “Tom” Boudin, who passed away on March 27, just a week before his 72nd birthday. Tom, who resided in the Wiscasset/Edgecomb area all his life, was the next to youngest of eight children. He was a member of the Wiscasset High School Class of 1971 where he met and later married the love of his life, Gail Caswell.  A well-known and respected accountant, Tom earned his MBA and CPA at University of Southern Maine. For many years, he served as treasurer to Wiscasset Alumni Association, Wiscasset Public Library and Edgecomb Community Church. He was also bookkeeper for the  Wiscasset airport. Tom’s employers over the years also included Bowdoin College and Midcoast Maine Community Action in Bath, a nonprofit he greatly enjoyed working for. Tom was also a member and mentor of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick. I’ll personally miss his wonderful sense of humor and wisdom. I’ll remember him best as someone who was kind and respectful to everyone he met, devoted to family, friends and community. Rest in peace my friend.  

Richard Forrest, 85, of Wiscasset had a lifelong love of the sea. After graduating from Maine Maritime Academy, he began his merchant marine and engineering career by serving aboard the SS Savannah – the world’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship.  Many others knew Richard from having worked with him at the Maine Yankee nuclear plant in Wiscasset where he was an engineer.  For a number of years, Richard was part of Wiscasset’s Waterfront Committee. He was also involved with Maine’s First Ship, a non-profit group based in Bath that oversaw construction of the Virginia, a replica of the first ocean-going ship built in America in 1607 at the Popham Colony.  Richard was devoted to his wife Virginia, his children and grandchildren. He died in his sleep on March 26, perhaps dreaming of the sea. 

Abbie Ann Roberts of Nobleboro lived a long, wonderful life passing away Feb. 2 at 94. Abby and her husband Sam Roberts were the longtime publishers of Lincoln County News. Abby worked for years as editor and managing editor of the weekly newspaper based in Damariscotta/Newcastle. The Roberts, who were married for 67 years, were inducted into the Maine Press Association Hall of Fame in 2002. Along with working and raising four children, Abby volunteered for many community organizations, being a founding member and first bookkeeper of Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service.  She was a Girl Scout leader, volunteer at Miles Memorial Hospital League, and an active member of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Newcastle. 

This is where we'll have to end, there just isn't room enough to mention everyone we lost this past year. All of those mentioned here had obituaries that appeared in this newspaper. That’s not always the case these days. Often news of people dying is simply announced on Facebook, Instagram, or somewhere else online – another way in which times are changing. 

Let’s close with a memorable line from Frank Capra’s movie. “It’s a Wonderful Life," the part in the story where Clarence, the guardian angel, says something rather profound to George Bailey – "Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives ... When he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"

Phil Di Vece earned a B.A. in journalism studies from Colorado State University and an M.A. in journalism at the University of South Florida. He is the author of three Wiscasset books and is a frequent news contributor to the Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper. He resides in Wiscasset.