PHILIP S. ANNIS

DOVER-FOXCROFT – Philip S. Annis, 82, husband of Jane (Doble) Annis, finished life’s journey April 30, 2004, at a local nursing home. He was born Jan. 11, 1922, in Dover-Foxcroft, the son of Ralph and Estelle (Sands) Annis. A 1941 graduate of Foxcroft Academy, he served with the 308th Medical Battalion of the 83Rd Infantry Division, U.S. Army in the European Theater during World War II. He reached Normandy on D-12 Day and also served in the Battle of the Bulge. He attended Eckels College of Mortuary Science in Philadelphia, graduating in 1946. He married the former Jane A. Doble of Milo in 1947. He had begun working at the Lary Funeral Home for Harold L. Lary as a junior at Foxcroft Academy; after college, he returned to continue his employment for several years, purchasing the business in 1957. He owned and operated the ambulance service as part of the Lary Funeral Home, covering southern Piscataquis County until 1971. He became a member of the Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church in 1941, where he served as deacon and trustee. He served 26 years as a Piscataquis County Commissioner, many of those as chairman. He was a member of the Maine County Commissioners Association, and its president in 1979-1980. As a County Commissioner he also served as a board member of CAP (Community Action Program) and CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act). He was a member of the local SCORE (Select Corp Of Retired Executives) Committee, which assists in developing new businesses within the community. An honorary trustee of Foxcroft Academy, he was an active member of the Board of Trustees from 1964-1991, and president from 1983-1991. He was also a member of the SAD No. 68 Joint Board for many of those years. He was a member of the Maine Funeral Directors Association and served as president in 1961. He served on the Maine State Board of Funeral Service from 1963-1969. He was a member of the Katahdin Area Boy Scout Council, serving as president from 1971-1973. He also served as finance committee chairman and received the Silver Beaver Award in 1972 for special recognition of outstanding service in the Scouting field. He served on the local draft board. He became a member of the Dover-Foxcroft Kiwanis Club in 1946 and served as president, secretary and treasurer and also as Lieutenant Governor of the 9th Division in 1951. He received the George F. Hixson Award. He was a trustee and Executive Board member of Northeast Bank of Guilford, and later a member of the Board of Directors of Fleet Bank. He was a member of the Board of Eastern Maine Development Corporation of which he was chairman in 1983-1984, receiving the Ronald MacFadden Award in 1974 for outstanding achievement and participation in total community development. He also had served on the Piscataquis YMCA Board of Directors. He was a member of Masonic Lodge No. 52 AM & FM, and served as Master in 1953, a member of Anah Temple Shrine and the Scottish Rite Bodies, a member of Chadbourne-Merrill American Legion Post No. 29, and a 50-year member of Miriam Chapter No. 40 OES. Throughout Phil’s very active life, community service ranked as a high priority. He brought an acute business sense to the boards he served on, and the wisdom he acquired over the years benefited the many programs to which he was committed. He thoroughly enjoyed his time as County Commissioner, making many life long friends throughout Piscataquis County. Over the years, the friends he spent time with at Coffee Club learned to appreciate his dry sense of humor, for he always enjoyed a good story. Above all else, Phil’s commitment to his family was unparalleled. He was a devoted husband, father, brother, and grandfather. He especially enjoyed spending time at the family cottage on Sebec Lake. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Jane of Dover-Foxcroft; a daughter, Lorinda Annis Schrager and her husband, Barry, of Upper Montclair, N.J.; a son, Eric L. Annis of Dover-Foxcroft; also an AFS daughter, Marit Storeng of Oslo, Norway; three grandchildren, Kate Schrager of Upper Montclair, N.J.; Emily Annis of South Mills, N.C., who had recently spent several months in her grandparents’ home helping Jane provide tender loving care for Phil, and Ethan Annis of Dover-Foxcroft; a sister, Zelma Gorham of Manor, Texas; two sisters-in-law, Barbara Doble of Milo, and Mary Doble of Burlington, Conn.; a brother-in-law, James Bates of Burlington, Vt.; several nieces and nephews. Friends are invited to call 1-5 p.m. Sunday, May 2, 2004, at the Lary Funeral Home, Dover-Foxcroft. Funeral services will be conducted 10 a.m. Monday, May 3, at the Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church, with the Rev. Kenneth Dale officiating. Interment will be in the family lot in Dover Cemetery. Those who wish may make memorial contributions to the Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church, 828 West Main St., Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426.