EASTPORT, Maine — Dr. Rowland Barnes French, 89, who practiced medicine for 37 years in Eastport, was laid to rest Thursday, leaving a void in the community that residents here say may be difficult to fill.
Many local families can recall French’s quiet, unassuming manner, his house calls in the middle of the night and the kindness he showered on all.
The local medical center bears his name and he delivered many babies, including state Sen. Kevin Raye, who provided French’s eulogy Thursday.
“My arrival was anything but routine,” Raye said. “During my birth, at Eastport Memorial Hospital 48 years ago, serious complications arose that threatened to deprive me of oxygen and could have had severe consequences for me. But for his competence and quick thinking, my life could have been very different — or even over before it had begun.”
French served as the tuberculosis consultant for Washington County and helped establish Eastport Health Care Center, which is named in his honor. His interests ranged from hiking in the mountains, canoeing and skiing to the theory of relativity, history and classical music.
A Massachusetts native, French was a Dartmouth College and Harvard Medical School graduate, served in World War II, and moved to Eastport in 1953.
Two of his sons are carrying on French’s tradition of serving Eastport. Edward French is the publisher of The Quoddy Tides newspaper; and Hugh French is the director of the Tides Foundation.
“I’ve always thought that Dr. French, in many ways, was like a character in a movie: the brilliant physician who would have excelled in any setting but chose to devote himself to the people of a small town,” Raye said Thursday. “I believe he could have been aptly played by Jimmy Stewart. The people of this area knew him as our trusted doctor, as the healer we could depend on to wage war against sickness in whatever form it took.”
Comments left on the Mays Funeral Home Web site indicate how deeply the community feels its loss:
“Dr. French was an icon in our community,” Tessa Ftorek wrote. “His quiet and caring demeanor served us in a way that we shall always cherish and never forget.”
“Dr. French will always live in our hearts as one of the best,” Peter and Vicki Smith wrote.
Frances Miliano wrote, “Dr. French was respected for his knowledge, and loved for his kindness and compassion. His passing is a great loss for many.”
“Dr. French was my family doctor for many years,” Ivan Schofield wrote. “He was the paragon of medical excellence and professionalism. In addition, his character was one of dignity and kindness. He should remain the standard to which others aspire.”