PORTER- Gerald “Jerry” Arthur Gauthier, 77, of Porter, Maine, died April 12, 2025, peacefully in his home after a two-year battle with Mesothelioma. He was born on October 9, 1947, in Rochester, NH to Ernest H. Gauthier of Rochester, NH and Ida Fae Sunderland of Grand Isle, NE.
Jerry is preceded in death by his beloved wife, June E. Robinson, of New Gloucester, ME. He is survived by daughters Barbara Gauthier and Tina Gauthier of Toronto, Canada; Nickie Gauthier-Martin of Harrisonburg, VA and her husband Jeremy; two adopted daughters from a previous marriage; stepchildren Ethan “Rocky” Reed, Darcy Spaulding and husband Jason of Hiram, ME; Christopher Jones and his wife Katelyn of Hiram, ME; as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Ernest “Chip” W. Gauthier of Rochester, NH.
Military service was an integral part of Jerry’s life. He was a member of the U.S. Navy as an E5 Shipfitter for 4.5 years. He served aboard the USS Talladega (APA-208), Vietnam, 1967; the USS Los Alamos (AFDB-7), Holy Loch, Scotland; the USS O’Hare (DD-889), Norfolk, VA. Following his service, he devoted over 30 years to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, ME, where he retired as a GS11 Occupational Safety, Health, and Environmental technician.
While at home Jerry was a jack-of-all-trades, confident he could fix anything. Most are convinced the term “Jerry-rigged” was coined after him specifically. Whether fixing a bicycle, tinkering on a motor, renovating a home, or modifying a weapon, he was going to get it working somehow, someway. It is only logical that he would start each day with tea and a sudoku puzzle to keep the mind sharp. He proudly researched his genealogy to trace his lineage back to a Mayflower passenger and a first settler of Quebec. Jerry was an enthusiastic collector of guns and edged weapons but also diecast models because he still managed to be a kid at heart.
Jerry was an avid outdoorsman and hunter enjoying camping trips with his family, canoeing the Saco River with his wife June, guy time in the woods of Rangely with his friends, and hunting. He relished boasting how he caught a moose each of the three times he drew the moose lottery, and he had similar luck with deer. However, of all the things Jerry shot, he shot “the shit” the most. Whether he was welcoming a friend at the kitchen table as they were passing by the house, meeting friends for dinner at Bayhaven, or sitting at the bar at the Fairgrounds, he was always shooting the shit. Known for his head full of curls and a twinkle in his eye as he cooked up a raucous story, these places will not be the same without him.
Although Jerry requested no service, he has a veteran memorial brick at Fairgrounds Sports Bar & Grill in Cornish, ME. His family encourages you to go shoot the shit, in his honor, with his favorite drink in hand – a Sailor Jerry.
Online condolence messages can be submitted at the Poitras, Neal & York Funeral Home website, www.mainefuneral.com
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wounded Warrior Project.
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