My name is Larry Wentworth Lord, I passed away on Saturday January 30, 2021. I suppose it surprised you more than it did me. I had been sick for about a year, but certainly wasn’t going to tell anyone. Don’t mourn my passing, I’ve been to too many somber services over the years and that’s not what I want. I knew I had reached the bottom of the ninth and this was not going into extra innings so I was fully prepared. Don’t be sad. Instead, pull up a chair, pour yourself a cold one, and let me you tell you why I’m totally at peace with the end of a very rewarding life. I loved hearing other people’s stories but rarely told my own.
My story began in January 1945 when I was born to Barbara Estrelle Gilpatrick and James Merrill Lord, of Limerick, Maine. I graduated from Limerick High School in the top ten of my class and was a starter on the basketball team. I should probably add that there were only twelve people in my class. As you know, I loved baseball too and I was able to play in college at Gorham State Teachers College, now known as University of Southern Maine. The Bachelor of Science degree I earned in 1967 began a rewarding career in education, starting in my home district as a junior high science teacher. That career was interrupted in 1969 when I received a friendly letter from President Nixon inviting me to serve in the United States Army. I spent 18 months in the Mekong Delta coming home in 1971 with a Bronze Star and two Army Commendation awards. I didn’t talk about it very much but I was proud of my time in the service and that experience instilled in me a deep appreciation for people who sacrificed throughout history in peacetime or in war to preserve the freedoms that we enjoy to this day.
I resumed my teaching career as an English teacher, and furthering my education, in 1973 I earned my Masters Degree in Guidance from the University of Maine and took a position as a guidance counselor and special education teacher in our district. In 1976 I became the assistant principal and athletic director and in 1981 the principal at Sacopee Valley High School until I retired from education in 1992. I enjoyed supporting our students in academics and athletics and tried to attend every event, usually with Patches, my four-legged, constant companion.
Excellent credentials to be sure, but to me my greatest accomplishment and the most joyful moment of my life was marrying my beautiful wife, Mary Metz in 1976. She was my Special Angel on earth and we had far too short a time together. Retiring in 1992 from education gave me time to devote to Mary and gave me flexibility to begin a real estate career with Pike, Lovejoy, & Howe, known today as Cote & Howe Realty. It was an enjoyable experience but I decided to retire for good in 1999 and focus on community service, another passion of mine.
Whether it was moderating the meetings for the Town of Baldwin, raising money for the Brown Memorial Library renovation, planning the Annual Memorial Day Celebration, or delivering food for the Meals on Wheels program, I was able to be in contact with people from all walks of life and hear their stories, something I never tired of. I appreciated receiving the Spirit of America Foundation Award for Community Service on April 5, 2019 from the State of Maine Senate and House of Representatives; it was an honor to be selected from so many deserving nominees.
I have always enjoyed following the New England sports teams and like many of you, I loved the Red Sox and anyone who beat the Yankees. I looked forward to March when I could go down to spring training, watch my team up close and personal and catch up with the many people I knew who had retired to Florida, escaping the Maine winter. I’m going to miss summers in Maine out on Sebago Lake and the chance to take visitors from away to my favorite spots in our great state.
My wife Mary has been patiently waiting for me since she passed in 1995 as is my brother Jim. But my nieces, nephews, and more friends than I can possibly count live on and I ask them all to enjoy every moment, meet and talk to the people around you and listen to their stories. I’m not one for flowers but if you feel the need , donate to your favorite charity and if you can’t think of any, choose one of my mine; The Baldwin Historical Society, Harvest Hills Animal Shelter, Veterans Memorial Fund , or Hospice of Southern Maine who took great care of me in my last days.
There will be a small graveside service in the Old West Baldwin Cemetery sometime in late spring. See me off but no tears or sad faces. Stand around, or sit, and recount the stories and memories, there sure are plenty of them.
Arrangements are respectfully handled by Poitras, Neal and York Funeral Home. Online condolences may be expressed at: www.mainefuneral.com