BANGOR, Maine — The man who was the state’s longest-serving probate judge when he stepped down from the bench three years ago died late Monday night after a brief illness. He was 95.
Retired Penobscot County Judge of Probate Allan Woodcock Jr. of Bangor first took the bench on Jan. 1, 1963. He served in that capacity for half a century until he retired on Jan. 1, 2013, at the age of 92, according to published reports.
County probate judges are the only elected judges in the state.
Maine’s probate judges handle estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions, changes of name and related matters.
In most counties, including Penobscot County, the position is part time. A majority of probate judges are lawyers who maintain a private practice, as Woodcock did when he first was elected in 1962. He began practicing law in 1948.
Around the time of his retirement, Woodcock said that adoptions were always his favorite part of the job.
“Judge Woodcock was the quintessential gentleman judge,” Leigh I. Saufley, chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, said Tuesday. “He gave decades of his life to public service, and his commitment to Maine people provided a role model for so many who followed him in community service. All of us on Supreme Judicial Court send our condolences to the family and friends of ‘The Judge.’”
Sen. Susan Collins also issued a statement about the judge’s passing.
“Allan was a remarkable, kind and intelligent person who devoted his life to giving back to his community,” she said on Tuesday.
“During his time as a Bangor city councilor, Maine state representative, and Maine state senator, Allan worked tirelessly on behalf of the citizens of Penobscot County and the state of Maine,” she said.
“Allan continued his tremendous record of distinguished public service by being elected as the Penobscot County probate judge, a post he held for 50 years,” Collins said.
“Allan had an indelible impact on Maine, and he will be greatly missed by all those who knew him,” she added. “My heart goes out to his family during this time.”
The former probate judge’s nephew, U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock, said his uncle was “an excellent lawyer, a fine judge, a dedicated public servant, a wonderful family man and a truly extraordinary Red Sox fan.”
“I was blessed to have him as my uncle and to count him as my friend,” he said.
Longtime Penobscot County Commissioner Tom Davis described Allan Woodcock as a man who dedicated his life to Penobscot County and its citizens.
“He was a perfect gentleman, and he took his job seriously. The county was his life. The courtroom was his life,” Davis said.
“He always had a smile on his face, and he was always upbeat,” he added.
Fellow Penobscot County Commissioner Peter Baldacci has been practicing law for more than three decades, almost all of that time while Woodcock was probate judge.
“He cared a lot about the people that he served,” Baldacci said. “He cared a lot of serving the people of Penobscot County. He especially enjoyed presiding over adoptions. He took a real interest in seeing how they were and making the adoption ceremony important to them. He never lost his enthusiasm for it,” Baldacci said.
“He had a great life. He really impacted people in a positive way,” he said.
Amy Faircloth, who practices family law in Bangor, recalled Woodcock’s kindness.
“He was really kind and very respectful of litigants and attorneys,” she said, adding that he understood the emotional stress that went on when family members were at odds. “He always encouraged settlement” but was prepared to make difficult decisions when the need arose, she said.
When meeting with families preparing for adoptions in his chambers, Woodcock liked to try to put children at ease by asking them if they had a pet, Faircloth recalled. She said Woodcock would then try to guess the pet’s name.
One time, however, he asked some follow-up questions. He had asked if the child helped feed and walk the dog to which the child responded no.
Woodcook was perplexed, Faircloth said, but as it turns out, the child’s pet was a stuffed animal, much to the amusement of everyone in the room.
“He was very good with children,” she said.
Susan Almy, who worked with Woodcock for many years as registrar of probate, said Tuesday that Woodcock “possessed a special understanding of the Probate Court, and his approach to adoptions exemplified his genuine respect for the role of the court and how probate laws touched Maine’s families.
“His sensitive and dignified manner made the adoption ceremony a joyful and meaningful occasion. Judge Woodcock presided over difficult family issues, and his methodical approach to written decisions reflected his respect for the written word. I will miss him,” she said.
Woodcock is remembered for making some Penobscot County history in January 2008, when he presided over the county’s first same-sex adoption.
The judge was moved by the adoption.
“It’s a big moment for the county and the state of Maine,” he said after the hearing. “It’s progress. That’s what it boils down to.”
Woodcock was predeceased by his wife, Lois. He is survived by seven children and 17 grandchildren. Information about funeral arrangements was not immediately available.