STEEP FALLS - Harold Wendell Warren, 84, died peacefully January 23, 2018 at his home in Steep Falls, Maine, surrounded by his loving family. He was born June 18, 1933, in Baldwin, Maine to James Arthur Warren and Gertrude Boothby Warren. Harold attended grade school in Baldwin and graduat-ed from Standish High School in 1952. He served his country from June 1953 thru May 1955 in the Army, 11th Division, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He married Marion Gail Ashley in 1957. In 1960, they moved into the Cape Cod home in Steep Falls that he and his father built with help from family and friends, where they raised their three children.
Harold was a skilled carpenter and cabinetmaker and a licensed electrician. He was employed in the maintenance department of Gannet Publishing Co., Portland, Maine, for 25 years, and was also a pro-fessional photographer. Following his childhood of family farming, he started a pick-your-own blue-berry business in the 1980’s. His very young grandsons, Peter and Matthew, helped him set out the first of what grew to be 800 bushes.
Harold was a lifetime member of the Standish Fire Department, a Trustee and Treasurer of the Cen-ter Memorial Medical Building, a Chairman of the Standish Appeals Board, a Boy Scout leader, and an Overseer of the Center Medical Building Sick Room Equipment Loaning Service. He was a longtime member, Trustee, and faithful worker at the First Congregational Church of East Baldwin. Harold drew the plans and supervised the building of an addition to the Church that was completed in 2004. He recently received his 55 year pin from the Presumpscot Lodge of the Masonic Order.
Harold’s hobbies included photography, woodworking and restoring his 1948 Farmall H Tractor. Har-old showed the tractor with his grand daughters Kirsten and Bethany and all were excited to win mul-tiple blue ribbons in a variety of local parades. He built Gail’s mother a purple martin birdhouse, his daughters and granddaughters hope chests/toy boxes with their first names routed on the fronts, bunk beds for grandsons, an entertainment center for one daughter, bedside tables for the other, a corner bookcase for another grandson, a china closet for a sister-in-law. His strong work ethic turned some hobbies into small businesses, that included building cradles, bird houses and bat houses. After listen-ing to an enthusiastic Paul Harvey broadcast about bat condominiums, he made them, too! He did aerial photography for fun and caught his son waving to him from our field. He kept a camera with him on his daily commute to Portland and took many photos that appeared in the Portland Press Her-ald. One night around 3 a.m. he awoke to the telephone ringing. A very excited young lady had just become engaged and wanted to know if he would photograph her wedding. (He did). For his children Harold wrote “My Story,” tales of his youth complete with pictures. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, boat-ing and monthly family gatherings were the highlight of his life.
Harold and Gail were happily married for 60 years. They loved camping and traveling with family and friends. Their travels took them to many beautiful and historic places including Great Britain, Alaska, Hawaii and many of the lower 48 states. His pride and joy were his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was always an enthusiastic supporter of all their accomplishments. He was particu-larly proud to watch his grandson Andrew graduate from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.
He will be lovingly remembered by his wife Gail; his three children, Kevin and his wife Rhonda of Steep Falls, Alison Ashley and her husband Richard of Buxton, and Jill Knutson of Scarborough; his five grandchildren, Peter Warren, Matthew Warren, Andrew Knutson, Kirsten Knutson and Bethany Ashley; his five great-grandchildren, Annabelle, Lincoln, Nolan, Maverick, and Alden; his sister, Rita Gerry, and brother, Donald Warren and his wife, Virginia; and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Harold was predeceased by his sister, Winona Morton, and brothers, Roland, Alton, Gor-don and Rodney Warren, and nephew, Gary Warren.
A celebration of Life service will be held Sunday, January 28th at 2pm at the East Baldwin Congrega-tional Church, 26 School Street, East Baldwin, Maine. Reception to follow at the Steep Falls Fire Barn, 870 Boundary Road, Steep Falls, Maine. A private interment will take place at the Steep Falls Ceme-tery in the Spring.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Poitras, Neal & York Funeral Home – Cornish. Online condo-lence messages can be submitted at www.mainefuneral.com
Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider sending a memorial contribution to East Baldwin Congregational Church, PO Box 49, East Baldwin, Maine 04024.