BANGOR – Roy Adair MacGregor passed away on February 22, 2016, at the age of 89. Roy lived a full and gregarious life, instilling humor and pleasure in all that he knew. He was the son of James Adair MacGregor and Beryl Finnemore MacGregor, born in Belmont, Massachusetts, on April 20, 1926. He was predeceased by his parents; his sister, Jacquelyn Henry; and brother, Robert MacGregor.
Roy is survived by his wife of 67 years, Mary Weston MacGregor of Bangor; and four daughters, Terry MacGregor and life partner, Bill Smith, of Dresden, Deborah Maines and husband, Douglas, of Falmouth, Lynn Ann MacGregor of Topsham and Jodi MacGregor and life partner, Theresa Amirault, of Brewer. He is also survived by his sister, Marjorie Coughlin of Oakland; brother-in-law, Ralph Weston and wife, Dolores, of Skowhegan; and brother-in-law, Richard Brophy and wife, Sylvia, of Livermore. He was loved and admired by his five grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
He served in the Navy in the Pacific Fleet during World War II on the USS Oberon, and returned for a second tour of duty during the Korean conflict. Upon his honorable discharge he returned to Maine, working for the railroad for eleven years and starting a plumbing and heating business which he ran until retirement.
Not only was Roy a master plumber, he was also a master practical joker, always with a twinkle in his eye! You may know of the time, after allowing his two young daughters to watch a scary movie late at night, that he hid under one of their beds and moved the spring and mattress around as they were trying to go to sleep. Hysterical. Or during the big annual Christmas eve gatherings, when he wired a metal chair and unsuspecting guests would get a shocking surprise. Classic. Or after instructing his future son-in-law to dismantle an old furnace with a sledgehammer, sneaking up to the first floor and dropping a string of firecrackers down into the basement as a surprise. Pure adrenaline. And then there was the time that he secretly hid an electric doorbell inside the neighbor’s chimney which Roy’s children would set off at random times, much to the neighbor’s dismay. Absolute genius. Or how about soldering a quarter to the porch floor and wiring it to a car battery so that each unsuspecting person who tried to pick it up got a surprise? Not everyone found this amusing, but Roy sure did! Snowball fights against all of the neighborhood kids during his lunch hour at home! Amazing his grandchildren by making a dime disappear into his arm and reappear in his ear?  And for every joke you saved to tell him, he always had three more in return. If you ever spent time with Roy and didn’t walk away with a huge grin, then you weren’t paying attention!!!
Roy’s is a life to be celebrated, and we hope you will join us on Sunday, April 24, from 1-4 p.m. at the Penobscot County Conservation Association, 570 North Main Street, Brewer. Please join us and bring your favorite Roy story to share with friends and family and enjoy the memories that this gentle man created for us all.
Love, Roy Adair MacGregor’s Family