SWANVILLE – Robert Paul “Bob” McCrea, 78, passed away peacefully May 15, 2008, surrounded by his family at a Bangor hospital from complications after open-heart surgery. He was born Sept. 21, 1929, in Staten Island, N.Y., the son of the late Robert John and Elsie (Roesch) McCrea. He is survived by his loving wife of almost 59 years, Mary Anne (Porvanik) McCrea; his daughter, Mary Anne McCrea-DeBenedittis and her husband, Nick, of Alameda, Calif.; his sister, Kathleen Mastbeth and her husband, John, of Sedgewick; and his shadow and best buddy, Sara girl. He will be greatly missed by his friends and neighbors, who could always rely on Bob for his help and good advice. He was predeceased by a daughter, Patrice; and his sister, Marian. Bob and Mary Anne moved to Swanville from Saddle Brook, N.J., in 2001, fulfilling his long-time dream of living in Maine. Whenever told by a friend, neighbor or shopkeeper to “have a nice day,” he always replied that any day he woke up and his feet hit the ground, was a great day. A self-taught engineer, Bob was a master of creative solutions to everyday problems and he could figure out how to fix or build anything he set his mind to. In his early 20s, he built an 18-foot boat, the “Mary Anne,” with his wife’s help. He later built a car for his daughter, taking the front half of one vehicle and the back of another, putting all the pieces together perfectly. He single-handedly built a beautiful porch on the front of his house in Swanville. His hobbies and interests were varied and many, he especially enjoyed going to yard sales, charity auctions and church suppers, hunting, vegetable gardening, carpentry and woodworking, and working on his cars and other “boy toys.” According to his wishes, Bob was cremated and his ashes will be buried, along with those of two of his favorite dogs, under a tree to be planted next to his home. A memorial gathering will be held in June to celebrate Bob’s life. Friends and family will be asked to bring their carpentry skills and gardening talents to a work party day to finish off some of the projects that Bob was unable to complete before he became ill.
ROBERT PAUL ‘BOB’ MCCREA
