CHARLES H. ABBOTT

FALMOUTH – Charles H. Abbott, 73, passed away June 12, 2009, at Gosnell Hospice House, Scarborough with his family by his side, after a four-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was born Oct. 26, 1935, in Rumford, the oldest son of Lucille and Warren Abbott. He attended Rumford schools, Bowdoin College on a State of Maine Scholarship, and Yale Law School. Raised on a working farm, Charlie’s connection to his Maine roots never abated during his remarkable career. He served as first lieutenant, U.S. Army, 1958-1960; and was a special agent in the U.S. Counterintelligence Corps – CIC, the predecessor to Intelligence Agency. In the CIC, Charlie was responsible for the security of heads of state and dignitaries such as former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and President Harry S. Truman, Fidel Castro and Nikita Khrushchev. Charlie was a financial analyst at Dunn & Bradstreet, Inc. before entering law school in 1960. Upon graduation, he became a partner in the Auburn-based law firm of Skelton, Taintor & Abbott. Ultimately, he became chairman of the board until his retirement. In the legal community, Charlie was renowned for his integrity, guidance and intellect; his dedication to his profession; and for being both a lawyer and a gentleman. For decades, Maine leaders sought his counsel. Charlie was a member of the Governor’s Executive Council, 1975-1976; and served on the Maine Board of Executive Clemency, 1976-1986. He was appointed by President Carter to the U.S. Judge Selection Commission for the First Circuit, and had been a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers since 1978. In the 1970s, he served on the Civil Rules and Criminal Rules committees of the Supreme Judicial Court and the Supreme Court Liaison Committee between the Bench and Bar. While in Auburn, he was an assistant county attorney, president of Androscoggin County Bar Association and a member of the Charter Revision Commission. In 1988, Charlie became a member of the board of directors for Central Maine Power Co., serving as vice chairman, 1997-2001. He was on the board of directors of Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Co., York, Pa., 2000-2005. Toward the end of his career, Charlie was in great demand in Maine as an arbitrator and mediator of choice. Throughout the years, Charlie was a trustee for the Auburn chapter of the Red Cross, Portland Symphony Orchestra and Theater at Monmouth. Reading was Charlie’s passion, and he spent years researching and writing about the Abbott family genealogy. An avid outdoorsman throughout his life, Charlie enjoyed hunting, fishing and hiking in the Maine woods with the Abbotts and friends, and traded countless stories around family camps, inspired by these adventures. In later years, he enjoyed spending time at the beach in Florida with his grandchildren and playing golf with his wife and their many friends. Charlie is survived by his wife of 20 years, Mary Holt Abbott; son, Woods Abbott and his wife, Susan and their children, Brittany and Matthew, of Wilmington, Mass.; son, Edward Abbott and his wife, Christine and their children, Zachary and Andrew, of Leesburg, Va.; daughter, Ann Abbott Wendler and her husband, Luke Wendler and their son, Asa, of San Francisco; stepdaughter, Jody Myers of Morristown, N.J.; stepson, Darren Myers and his wife, Melissa and their children, Calvin, Carson and Cashton, of La Crosse, Wis.; and brother, Walter Abbott and his wife, Carol, of Orono and their children, Steven, Scott and Sherry; brother, Wilder “Kim” Abbott and his wife, Alice, of New York City and their children, Lucy and George. Also, there will be three additional grandchildren born in the coming months to Edward and Ann. A celebration of Charlie’s life will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 20, at First Parish Church, Brunswick, with a reception after in the Daggett Lounge of Thorne Hall on the Bowdoin College campus. Burial will be 11 a.m. Sunday, June 21, at Rumford Center Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Maine Chapter, 170 U.S. Route 1, Suite 250, Falmouth, ME 04105. To send an in memoriam or to print a copy of the obituary, please visit www.hobbsfuneralhome.com.