Emery Whitney Ingalls

Emery W. Ingalls, 93, of Portland passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 6, 2025. He was born in Machiasport, Maine on May 9, 1931. He was the first son of Howard and Mattie Ingalls. Shortly after his birth the family moved to Mamaroneck, NY, where his father worked in a private boat yard for fourteen years. The family returned to Machiasport in the summer of 1946. Dad graduated from Washington Academy in 1949. In the winter of 1951, he and his brother joined the Air Force and were stationed in Japan for most of their enlistment. In the fall of 1955 he entered Baylor University, Waco, Texas and graduated in the summer of 1958. He married Janice Verna Robinson that summer and entered Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. Dad left the seminary after one year and joined the U.S. Customs Service, training in Boston and accepting an assignment to St. Albans Vermont. In 1963 he was transferred to Portland, Maine where in 1974 he was appointed as the District Director of Customs for Maine and New Hampshire, a position which he held until he retired in 1996. In the summer of 1977, he lost his wife Janice to cancer. The following year he married Jane Lindsey, a single mother with three daughters. Along with his daughter and three sons, they experienced the joys and challenges of having seven teenagers living together under one roof. The family has a camp on Ingalls’ Island in Machiasport, Maine, where they shared many memorable days with friends and family. While most saw this as a vacation, Dad was only truly contented when he had a project that he could work on. To him, that was vacation. He is predeceased by his parents, Howard and Mattie Ingalls, his first wife Janice (1977), his second wife Jane (2014), and his oldest son Douglas Ingalls (Yvette) died in January of 2016. He is survived by his daughters, Lori Harrison (Joel), Kathleen Ennis (David), Karen Varney (Edward), Cheryl Walker (Brad) and sons, Bruce Ingalls (Jannelle), Donald Ingalls (Laurie), and by his younger brother Howard. Dad leaves behind 17 grandchildren: Whitney, Joshua, Samantha, Anthony, Jason, Justin, Russell, Ryan, Nicholas, Brianna, Erik, Kyleigh, Sean, Brandon, Chelsea, Joseph, Matthew and 20 great grandchildren: Dylan, Nora, Tucker, Cooper, Molly, Rowan, Kayce, Paul, Harper, Henry, Brooklyn, Laila, Gavin, Carson, Haleigh, Amelia, Colton, Charlotte, Jacob, Owen. The family would like to state their heartfelt thanks to the staff and nurses at Scarborough Terrace who took such good care of Dad. At Dad’s request, services will be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Portland Wheelers. Portland Wheelers, PO Box 11314, Portland ME 04104

Emery Whitney Ingalls

May 9, 1931 - February 6, 2025

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