Reginald W. Ford

Ford, Reginald, W.

Peacefully and surrounded by his family, our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away on October 2 at the age of 77 years.

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 52 years, Sonja of Durham, ME; his daughter Wendy Ford Lovett and her husband Rick of Sarasota, FL and his son Skip Ford and his wife Laure of Sarasota, FL.  He is also survived by his cherished grandchildren Mason (23), Owen (22), Kayla (20), Luke (17), Jack (13), and Eli (12) as well as numerous in-laws, cousins, nieces, and nephews.  Also holding a special place in his heart was his best friend of over 60 years, Paul Goldrup of Freeport, ME, his niece Kim Cochran who considered him like a father and the family’s Columbian exchange student Marybell Arias of Miami, FL.

He is predeceased by his parents Reginald & Hazel Ford, and his sister Sara Carrier.

After graduating from Freeport High School in 1961, he attended trade school in Boston, MA to get his Masters’ Electrician License.  Shortly after, he started his career at George C. Frye Company in Portland, ME.  On June 28, 1969 he married Sonja Briggs from Portland, ME.  They moved to Durham, ME where they raised their two children and lived for over 52 years.  He always enjoyed attending and being involved in the local church.  In 1978 he started his own company called Androscoggin Lift Company.  He sold and installed wheelchair lifts, stair elevators, and chair lifts for over 40 years with assistance from his friend Paul Goldrup.  In 2019 his son, Skip, and his grandchildren started working with him, and in 2020 they took over the company.  He was very proud his legacy would continue.

As soon as he was able to drive, he started buying what he called “cool & fast” cars.  He purchased his first car at 20 years old, a 1958 Ford Retractable Hard Top.  Some other cars he was the proud owner of was a 1961 Dodge Polara, 1964 Chevy Super Sport, a 1966 Dodge Dart, and several convertibles.

He loved his two dogs, Colonel and Jayda, who kept him active.  Some of his favorite times were spent with his family at camp, family boat rides, and cruising on the Disney ship with Sonja, Beverly, and Jimmy. He also enjoyed going out to eat (especially at Hodgeman’s Frozen Custard in New Gloucester), road trips, and riding motorcycles with his friend Allen. He made sure to attend as many of his grandsons’ sporting events as possible, and always found time to razz his favorite (only) granddaughter. He also enjoyed collecting baseball hats that provided memories of events he and his loved ones enjoyed.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 AM, on Saturday, October 16 at the New Gloucester Bible Church 218 Lewiston Rd, New Gloucester, ME  04260.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Reggie’s name to his local church, New Gloucester Bible Church 218 Lewiston Rd New Gloucester, ME  04260.

A special thank you to all of our friends and family who have supported during this difficult time.