CARIBOU – Harry Eugene Gray Jr. “Uncle Putt” moved on to his next great adventure Jan. 10, 2012. He was 77 years old. He was born Aug. 5, 1935, in Bar Harbor, the son of Harry Eugene Gray and Phoebe Davis Gray.
Harry’s first car was a Model T Ford given to him by his father, who was at the time a customs agent in Easton. Harry pursued an Army career, and after several tours of duty in Vietnam he went on to become an E-7 and an Army recruiter. He lived in Germany for 10 years and upon retiring from the Army in 1984 he bought Perry Greene’s kennel in Waldoboro, where he almost single handedly brought Arthur Walden’s legendary Chinook sled dogs back from the brink of extinction. Chinooks are the only breed of sled dog that originated in New England. Adm. Richard Byrd took Arthur Walden and 16 of his Chinooks on the 1928 expedition to Antarctica. In February 1990, Harry drove his team of Chinooks in a 325-mile “Trek For Life,” traveling from Greenville to Wonalancet, N.H., to raise awareness and funds for the organ donor programs of the Maine and New Hampshire Kidney Foundation. His efforts resulted in a successful kidney transplant that saved the life of a good friend. For a short time Harry lived in Alaska, while training his dog team to run the 1,200-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and then he returned to Maine, where he entered mid-distance races including the CanAm Crown race in Fort Kent. When he wasn’t mushing sled dogs, managing his Northdown Kennels and promoting the legendary Chinooks he was building, flying and ultimately crashing his experimental ultralights. Life with “Uncle Putt,” a nickname he acquired as a toddler because he scootched along on his fanny, hence his mom called him “Putt Putt,” was always an adventure. He was full of stories and his quick wit and wry sense of humor kept everyone laughing. When his health began to fail he enjoyed watching the moose and bear cross the fields at his farm in Woodland, and he especially enjoyed the deer that gathered beneath his old apple trees. In his final years he was blessed by the friendship, care and devotion of Wanda Campbell, who was like a daughter to him.
Harry was predeceased by his parents; his sister, Mary Lou; his brother, Richard Paul; a niece, Debbie; great-niece, Jennifer; and two faithful Chinook companions, Hoonah and Tess. He is survived by three children, Tina, Patty and Harry Eugene III; his sister-in-law, Nancy Dyer Gray; several nieces and nephews, and many friends two- and four-legged. Shortly before his death my uncle came to me in a dream and said, “I’m tired of all this. I’m going back to Alaska, where I can be with my dogs.” I bet that’s where he is right now, living on Sprite and Reeses, and running his team of Chinooks toward Finger Lake and Rainy Pass.
Per his wishes, there will be no funeral. In lieu of flowers, give a great big hug to someone you love, donate to your favorite charity or animal shelter or plant a tree. Family and friends will scatter Uncle Putt’s ashes at Holeb Pond in the spring. He grew out of his boyhood there, fly fishing, exploring the woods and dreaming young dreams. It was a place he loved.