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21-11-2008 16:14:45

Obituaries April 19, 2007

LIONEL N. BRETON    

WINSLOW–Lionel N. Breton, 84, a long-time resident of upper Halifax Street, in Winslow, died at MaineGeneral M e d i c a l C e n t e r , T h a y e r  Campus, in Waterville , on Sunday, April 8, 2007. He was born in Lac Drolet, Québec, on July 3, 1922, to Napoleon and Corina (St. Laurent) Breton. 
     He emigrated to the United States in 1953 and married the former Lorraine M. Giguere, of Winslow, in 1957, at St. John Catholic Church. 
    He was a devoted father and husband.
     He is survived by his wife of 49 years, as well as his sons, Luke and wife Carla, of Stratham, New Hampshire , Denis and wife Claire, of South China , and Nelson and wife Jennifer, of Windham . He was the oldest of nine children and is also survived by his sisters, Hélène, Aline, Anita, Germaine, Jeannine, Yolande, and brother Réal, all of Québec. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Cameron,
Diana, Hallee, Benjamin and Danielle Breton.
      He was predeceased by his brother, Clément.
      A long-time member of the local laborers union, Lionel was active in retirement. He was a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge #905, in Waterville , as well as the Knights of Columbus of Waterville .
     A funeral Mass will be held at St. John Catholic Church, in Winslow, on Saturday, April 28, at 11 a.m. A reception will be held immediately following the service at the American Legion on College Avenue, Waterville.
     In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to HealthReach Hospice, PO Box 828, Waterville, ME 04903.
     The family wishes to thank all those friends and relatives that provided assistance and paid  calls on Lionel in his final days. 
     Arrangements were under the direction of Dan and Scott’s Cremation and Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Road, Skowhegan.
 
 HUBERT W. CARTER SR.      VASSALBORO––Hubert Waldon Carter Sr., 89, of Vassalboro, died Wednesday, April 11, 2007, at the Augusta Rehabilitation Center . He was born in Caribou on August 27, 1917, the son of Arthur and Lillian (Caulkins) Carter.     
     He and his wife, Eunice, had been married for 69 years. Hubert worked as a farmer for more than  40 years. He also worked for many years cutting and selling wood. He cut wood until he was well into his 80s. Mr. Carter enjoyed fishing, hunting and camping. He was a member of the Fellowship Baptist Church . 
     Hubert was predeceased by a daughter, Priscilla Carter. 
     He is survived by his wife, Eunice ( Gardner ) Carter; three sons, Hubert Carter Jr. and his wife, Jean, of Dixfield, Arthur Carter and his wife, Pamela, of Vassalboro and Bernard Carter and his wife, May, of Vassalboro; three daughters, Beulah Evans and her husband, Michael Jones, of Winthrop, Nina Riese and her husband, Paul, of Augusta and Mary Libby and her husband, Jerry, of Jefferson ; a sister Marion McCarthy, of El Paso , Texas ; 27 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren, 11 greatgreat- grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.            
     Memorial donations may be made to the Fellowship Baptist Church, 237 Eastern Avenue, Augusta ME 04330.
 ROBERT G. DRAKE     
VASSALBORO––Robert G. Drake Sr., 92, editor and assistant general manager of the Morning Sentinel for 33 years, passed away Friday, April 13, 2007, in Waterville , after a period of ill health. Drake was born March 4, 1915, in Gardiner, son of Archie and Lena (Tibbetts) Drake. 
     Following his graduation from Gardiner high school in 1933, he worked as a bookkeeper and salesman for a tobacco and confectionery jobber. A year later he
entered Boston University College of Business Administration, majoring in journalism.
      He was a member of the university’s Alumni Council. In 1958 he attended an American Press Institute seminar for publishers and chief news executives at Columbia University .
      Drake joined the Guy Gannett organization in 1936 as a district reporter in Gardiner and retired in 1979 as director of the Sentinel’s news operation.
      He was city editor of the Kennebec Journal when he was transferred to the Sentinel in 1946 where he served successively as city editor, managing editor
and editor. He was also assistant general manager.
     Following his retirement he was elected executive secretary of the Maine Press Association, a position he held for six years. He was honored by the MPA as the
1985 Maine Journalist of the Year. The Young Journalist of the Year award bears his name. He was made an honorary life member of the MPA in April, 1985.
      On September 20, 2002, he was inducted into the Maine Press Association Hall of Fame.
     He also served during his retirement years as a contributing editor and member of the editorial board at the Sentinel, resigning in 1991 because of failing eyesight.
He was active in New as well as Maine newspaper organizations, serving for several years as a member of the Board of governors of the New Society of Newspaper Editors and served a term as the society’s secretary-treasurer, and was also an active member of the New England Associated Press News Executives Association.
      Drake’s life wasn’t all newspapering. He became an avid saltwater sailor in the pre-World War II years, and the lure of wind and sail drew him throughout his life.
He had been a member of the Power Squadron.
     He also was a dedicated gardener and loved to compete with friends to be the first to make a picking of home grown peas.
     Drake was a communicant of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Waterville . He had served both as senior warden and as a vestryman at St. Mark’s. He had been a
member of the Advisory Board for The Northeast, a periodical published by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine . He was an honorary member and former secretary of the Waterville Kiwanis Club, served as a director of the Waterville Boys and
Girls Club, Kennebec Tuberculosis and Health Association, Greater Waterville
Community Chest, Waterville Area Chamber of Commerce, Mansfield Clinic Advisory Board, the Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers, and as a trustee of Coburn Classical Institute, Waterville Area YMCA and the Goodwill Hinckley
School. He had been a member of the Vassalboro Budget Committee.
     He was also a member of Negumkeag Lodge of Masons and the Nature Conservancy.
     He was married November 14, 1970, to Germaine R. O’Donnell, former  administrative assistant to the general manager of the Sentinel, who survives him.
      He had four children by a previous marriage, Mrs. Edwin (Mary Anita) Wyman of Manchester , Mrs. Andre ( Elizabeth ) Garand of Bristol , Conn. , Mrs. William (Jacqueline) Boch of Ipswich, Mass. , Robert G. Drake Jr. of Scarborough ; a
sister, Mrs. Lorimer (Phyllis) Trafton II of Gardiner; seven grandchildren, Haddon Libby of Palm Springs, Calif. , Daniel Libby of Newbury, N.H. , Julie Benoit of Bristol, Conn. , Christopher Wyman of Swampscott, Mass. ; Nichole Boch Bui of Woodland Hills, Calif. , Shane Drake of Saco and Erin Drake-Prior of New Haven ,
Conn. ; also seven great-grandchildren, Isabella Libby of Palm Springs, Alexander Libby, Jason Libby and Sarah Libby , all of Newbury, Tyler Benoit and Sidney Benoit of Bristol, Conn. , and Drake Wyman of Swampscott.
     He as predeceased by his sister, Mrs. Carl (Carolyn) Toothaker, formerly of
 Woodbridge, Conn. Donations may be made to a fund for the MPA Bob Drake
 Young Writers Award, c/o Jeff Ham, Executive Director, 26 Elmwood Road, Cape Elizabeth ME 04107.
JOSEPH H. GRAY  
WINDSOR––Joseph H. “Joe” Gray, 40, of Ridge Road died unexpectedly Saturday, April 14, 2007, at his home. He was born in Gardiner on April 12, 1967, a son of the late Alan Gilcott Sr. and Leatrice (Pottle) Bailey.
     Mr. Gray attended Cony High School and had been employed by the  International Union of Operating Engineers Local 4 for several years. He had also
worked for Allen’s Transfer in Augusta and SCI Corporation.
     He was predeceased by his parents and his stepfather, Joe Weeks.
     Mr. Gray is survived by his wife, Dawna (Hunter) Gray; two sons, Corey Gray and Tim Whitmore; two daughters, Megan Hunter and Tiffany Taylor; five
brothers Peter and Bruce Gray, Brian Weeks and Jamie and Alan Gilcott Jr.; five sisters, Belinda Stevens, Rhonda Bowker, Sandra Hutchinson, Samantha Walker
and Jody Brewer; a grandson, Reilly Delong; as well as several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.
     Donations may be made to Joe Gray Memorial Fund, c/o Peter Gray,
310 Griffin Road, Windsor
ME 04363.