YARMOUTH – Harold E. Jones, 81, passed away Jan. 29, 2007, at Coastal Manor, Yarmouth. He was born April 29, 1925, in St. Francis, the son of Minnie (Mills) and Charles E. Jones. He grew up working on the family farm. School in St. Francis ended at the eighth grade, and at the age of 15, he left home, and worked in the woods, including working a long-log drive on Pocwock Stream. After that, he left home for school, first at Brewer Academy, then to Fryeburg Academy. He enlisted in the navy on his 17th birthday, serving during World War II at naval air bases in the Pacific, including a long posting in the Philippines. He returned to Fryeburg Academy in 1946, and graduated after a few weeks, when the headmaster determined that 21-year old veterans and 15-year-old students didn’t mix. For the next several years, he worked at a variety of jobs, including as a Maine guide, and obtained his pilot’s license in 1947 under the GI Bill. He married Lucienne Dube in 1950, and moved to Falmouth. Much of Harold’s life was dedicated to public service. In addition to working for 29 years for Sunoco, he joined the Falmouth Fire Department in 1950, serving as chief from 1960 to 1973. He enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1957, as a petty officer, and retired in 1985, as a lieutenant commander. While in the Navy and Coast Guard, he was an expert marksman with rifle and pistol. He was an instructor for the state fire marshal’s office. He took night courses, earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Maine in 1977. He became a ranger pilot with Maine Forest Service in 1969, finally retiring in 1999, with more than 10,000 hours of flying time in a variety of aircraft and helicopters. During that time he fought hundreds of forest fires, and participated in many successful searches and rescues. He received a number of awards, including Falmouth’s first Citizen of the Year in 1967, the FAA’s Master Pilot award, for more than 50 years as a safe pilot, and was Fryeburg Academy’s distinguished alumnus of the year in 1996. He belonged to the Quiet Birdmen, a fraternal pilot’s organization, and was a founding member of the Lovell VFW post. He was an avid sportsman, managing to find time to hunt and fish, as well as spending time with his children. Harold’s last few years were overshadowed by his battle with Parkinson’s disease. The family thanks the staffs at Coastal Manor and Foreside Harbor for their compassion caring for him. He was predeceased by his wife in 1985. He is survived by sisters, Mary Gray of Orrington and Bonnie Brooker of Orrington; daughter, Rebecca Smith of Ohio; sons, Perry Jones of Montana and Adam Jones of Falmouth; and six grandchildren. Visiting hours will be 6-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, at Lindquist Funeral Home, One Mayberry Lane, Yarmouth. The funeral service will be 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Foreside Community Church, 340 Foreside Road, Falmouth, with the Rev. Paul Shupe officiating. Burial will be in the spring at Pinegrove Cemetery, Waites Landing Road, Falmouth. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Harold’s memory to Fryeburg Academy, 152 Main St., Fryeburg, ME 04037. The Jones family has created a memorial of Harold’s life and is available at www.mem.com Please visit Harold’s memorial and share your condolences, memories and wishes with the Jones family.
HAROLD E. JONES
