All Obituaries

James Alan Richards, 62, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, in Westbrook. He was born in Westbrook on July 1, 1956, the son of William J and Gertrude Louise (Andrews) Richards. James graduated from Westbrook High School in 1975; in 1988 he married the love of his life Elizabeth J. McDonough. James was a dedicated public servant starting out with the City of Westbrook working in the Westbrook Rescue Unit. He then spent 35 years working for...

PORTLAND- Simmie M. Butts, 96, of Portland, passed away on November 6, 2018.  Simmie was born in Rockland, Maine on September 6, 1922 to the late George and Gertrude Butts.  He leaves behind his wife of 62 years Lucy (Nappi) Butts.  He also leaves behind his daughter, Margaret Dyer and her husband Philip Dyer; his three sons, Larry, Simmie Jr. and Richard; grandchildren Simmie III, Richard, Timmy, Seanna,...

John Thomas Franklin – 1 September 1938 – 3 November 2018 John Thomas “Tom” Franklin spent his early years in Illinois before moving to New England in 1956 to attend Dartmouth College, where he majored in Philosophy and spent his weekends hiking with the Dartmouth Outing Club.  After graduating from Harvard Law School, Franklin began a legal career of more than 40 years ranging from high-level corporate law to founding his own law firm specializing in...

Mabel “Peggy” Almeda Thompson, 88, of South Portland passed away on November 3, 2018 surrounded by her loved ones.  She was born in Surry, Maine, the daughter of John and Nellie Mahoney.  Peggy worked various jobs while raising seven children. Peggy was preceded in death by her husband of 70 years, Edwin O. Thompson Sr. and her son, Edwin “Eddie” Thompson Jr.  She is survived by her children, Sandra Leo, Thomas Thompson and his wife, Nancy, Peggy Jo...

Elizabeth Sherman (Betty) Wildes passed away peacefully on November 1, 2018, age 85, in the company of her family.  Betty was born January 23, 1933 in Newport, RI, the oldest of three children of Catharine (Hughes) and I. Thornton Sherman.  She grew up on Long Acres Farm, Middletown RI, which had been in the Sherman family for several generations. Betty was very active in 4-H.  She met Glenn, her future husband, at the Newport County 4-H awards banquet in January 1950. ...

James Patrick Leo passed away October 31, 2018.  He was born June 17, 1955 in Portland, Maine and raised on Munjoy Hill. Jim graduated from Portland High School. After graduating, he followed in his father’s footsteps leading him to become a master mason.  His work can be seen throughout downtown Portland on many historical buildings. He was a very talented mason and an extremely hard worker. He worked for Rice Management, Jeffrey Rice, for many years maintaining...

WESTBROOK -Gilbert Francis Donatelli, 95, passed on to be with his beloved wife, Theresa, on October 28, 2018, on the eve of her birthday. He was at home surrounded by his loving family. Gilbert was born on January 11, 1923, in Portland, Maine to Donato and Antonia (DiBiase) Donatelli. He attended public school in Portland before joining the family construction company.   Gilbert joined the Army in 1943, where he served in the 148th ordinance heavy automotive maintenance company,...

  Leon E. Hawkes, Jr. 88, of Portland, passed away peacefully on Sunday, October 28, 2018, after a long illness, with family & friends by his side. Mr. Hawkes was born in Portland, ME., the son of Madeleine C. and Leon E. Hawkes, SR. He attended local schools and graduated from Deering High School in 1948. He also attended Shaw’s Business School and was a graduate of Portland Junior College (Westbrook Jr. College), Portland, ME., where he earned a degree in business. He...

Portland- Michael J. “Pop” Tapley, 61, passed away on Saturday, October 27, 2018 at the Gosnell House in Scarborough following a long battle with cancer. Michael was born on November 27, 1956 to Norman A. and Kathleen M. (Winslow) Tapley in Bath, Maine.  He married the love of his life Betty Slater and they lived in Portland.  In October they celebrated 41 years of marriage.   Michael retired from B & M Bake Beans after 32 years of service. ...

Louis E. Manter, Jr, of Portland, a retired U. S. Marine Corps Master Sergeant, died on October 18th, 2018 in Portland, Maine. He was 92 years old.  He was born November 28, 1925, the son of Louis E. and Georgina (Guay) Manter. He grew up in Scarborough, graduating from Scarborough High School in 1943. He served an impressive 21 years in the US Military, serving in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. After high school he enlisted in the U. S. Navy. He completed the Aviation Ordnance course, Naval...