BROOKSVILLE – Franklin Wilmot Eaton died peacefully Sunday morning Sept. 27, 2009, at Blue Hill Memorial Hospital. He was born Nov. 19, 1920, in Bangor, son of George F. and Gale (Littlefield) Eaton. He and his late wife, Florence “Polly” Perry, met in kindergarten in 1924 and graduated from Bangor High School in 1938. Franklin graduated from Bowdoin College as a French major in 1942, was inducted into the Army in June 1943, married Polly, Aug. 28 of that year, and on Nov. 1, shipped out to the South Pacific with the 1098 Army Signal Corps. The unit provided communications support for the New Guinea and Luzon campaigns. In 1946 he took a position at Columbia Investment Co., of which he eventually became president; he later joined Paine Webber. He served as bursar of Bangor Theological Seminary, secretary-treasurer of Home for Aged Men, later the Phillips-Strickland House, and treasurer of Bangor Fuel Society and Mount Hope Cemetery Corp. He was an active member of All Souls Congregational Church and served as collector for many years. After retirement, he and Polly moved from Bangor to South Brooksville and became active in First Congregational Church of Blue Hill, where he served a long stint as treasurer. He was a longtime member and one-time commodore of Bucks Harbor Yacht Club. He had a great ability to enjoy whatever he did. He loved sailing and good stories, and maintained active friendships from every stage of his life. An adventurer at heart, he enjoyed cruising under sail, generally eastward from Bucks Harbor and generally just as far as the limits of vacation time would permit. He built his first radio by the age of 10 and became a lifelong ham radio operator with the call signs W1LHK and later, W1BU. Franklin was predeceased by Polly, his wife of 61 years and friend of more than 80 years; by his brother, Richard G. Eaton; and by his sister-in-law, Carolyn Colburn Eaton. He is survived by his children, Gale Eaton of Wakefield, R.I., Emily Eaton Moore and Charles Moore of Portland, Jonathan F. and Mariellen Lucas Eaton of Thomaston and Deborah J. Eaton of Brunswick; grandchildren, Matthew Eaton, Abigail Woodman, Caitrin Eaton and Alberta Athearn; brother, Robert J. Eaton and his wife, Julia L. Eaton, of Bangor; brother, Dwight L. Eaton of Brooksville; brother-in-law, Alfred M. Perry of Knoxville, Tenn.; brother-in-law, Charles H. Perry and his wife, Joanne S. Perry, of Ormond Beach, Fla.; sister-in-law, Barbara Perry Martin of Brooksville; many nieces and nephews. A funeral service will be held 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, at First Congregational Church of Blue Hill. Those who wish may make memorial gifts in his memory to Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, P.O. Box 823, Blue Hill, ME 04614-9987; Brooksville Public Library, Town House, Brooksville, ME 04617 or Eastern Area Agency on Aging, 450 Essex St., Bangor, ME 04401, to benefit Brooksville Community Cafe. A service of Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor.
FRANKLIN WILMOT EATON
