Spencer Ervin. Zachary William Miner. Joseph LaPalombara. Virgil Q. Gray Sr. Charles H. “Chuck” Marshall. Gary Alan Milliken. Sally Jean Bridges. David William Kee.
Note: “People We’ve Lost” is a feature of the Bar Harbor Story where we share obituaries of people that the island lost in the previous 1-2 weeks.
We’re doing this because we think everyone deserves to be remembered as widely as possible and not behind paywalls or at a cost of $500 for people mourning. We’re free.
If you have an obituary for a loved one or friend that you can’t afford to place in other spaces, please let us know, and we’ll share it here for you. We will also share obituaries that have been in other places, too. Just let us know.
By request we’ve started sharing obituaries from throughout Hancock County. This is a bit of a bigger lift for us, but we’ll try to keep doing it if it’s something that you all want. We all are so connected here.
Spencer Ervin
Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and Bass Harbor
Spencer Ervin, age 93, of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, formerly of Bass Harbor, Maine, died peacefully on June 11, 2026, surrounded by his wife and daughters. He was born on November 25, 1932, in Bala, Pennsylvania, the only son of Miriam Roberts Ervin and Spencer Ervin, and the youngest of six siblings.
He attended The Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pennsylvania, from first through twelfth grades and earned an A.B., cum laude, from Harvard in 1954. He served two years in the U.S. Navy and participated in Operation Deep Freeze aboard the USS Arneb, a mission in the Antarctic to establish a base for the International Geophysical Year. He had the opportunity to circumnavigate the globe and left the Navy in 1956 as an LTJG. He returned to earn his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1959. On September 12, 1964, he married Florence (Floy) Schroeder. Floy and he lived in Bala Cynwyd until 1995. They then moved to Bass Harbor, Maine, in 1996, and after 2015 were residents and active members of the Kendall Crosslands Community in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
Spencer stood out and was beloved by friends and by people who had even a passing interaction with him. He was known for his welcoming smile, his unusually keen mind, and his kindness. A joyful exclamation of “Spencer!” was bound to come from some quarter whenever he was out and about.
Spencer loved the law. He was a member of both the Pennsylvania and Maine bars and practiced law for over 50 years, first in Philadelphia, and later in Bass Harbor. As a lawyer, he stood for what was fair and what was right. He believed that these values were enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and in the law. When he lived in Maine, it was his joy to teach a continuing education course at the Acadia Senior College on the Supreme Court and Constitutional Law.
Spencer also loved dogs, particularly Trader, a Samoyed he grew up with, and Rissie, a Staffordshire terrier mix he walked with on the beautiful trails of Mt. Desert Island. He is survived by his beloved dog, Robert, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He enjoyed sailing in Blue Hill Bay and in earlier years cruised from Boston to Maine and on the Chesapeake Bay, later passing the love of sailing and the ocean onto his daughters.
He was the last in his generation and was preceded in death by his sisters Miriam, Katharine, Louise, Virginia, and Ellen. He is survived by his wife, Floy Schroeder Ervin and his four daughters, Margaret (Cortie) Ervin, Mary Ervin, Miriam Ervin, and Helen Ervin, as well as by his sons-in-law, Scott Swanay and Andrew Ludiman and his grandchildren, Andrew Turgeon, Jack Dempsey, and Liam Dempsey, in addition to many nieces and nephews and great and great-great nieces and nephews.
Donations may be made in his name to the Mt. Desert Island Biological Laboratory, MDIBL.org/support.
Zachary William Miner
Lunenburg and Mount Desert Island
Zachary William Miner, 46, of Lunenburg, passed away Tuesday morning, June 10, 2026, at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
Zachary was born in Bath, Maine, to Neill and Mary Ellen Miner, on July 10, 1979, and grew up in Augusta. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout and graduated from Cony High School. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Science in Television and Radio Studies from Ithaca College, and later received his Ph.D. in Sociology from SUNY Albany.
Zachary was a professor for the past nine years at Fitchburg State University, where he was active with the Undergraduate Research Council. He was known for his commitment to his students, his off-beat sense of humor, and his emotional intelligence and dependability. His work focused on how people and communities can better care for one another.
Before his academic career, Zac earned credits on the mini-series Empire Falls and the feature film In the Bedroom. He also worked for the Center for Inquiry in Buffalo, and volunteered for AmeriCorp’s Bridging the Digital Divide program in rural New Hampshire.
Zac is survived by his beloved wife, Marie Guido-Miner, of Lunenburg; his mother, Mary Ellen (Lewis) Miner, of Kensington, Maryland; and his brother, Andrew Miner, his wife, Emily Carrier, and their two children, Ira and Serena, of Potomac, Maryland. Zac will be remembered by his large and varied extended and chosen family, his friends, and everyone he inspired along the way.
Among Zac’s superpowers were his generous spirit, warmth and thoughtfulness, sharp insight, and deep love and dedication to his family. Zac had a broad range of interests, including juggling, which lead to him meeting the love of his life at a welcome picnic for graduate students at SUNY Albany. Almost 21 years later they were still devoted to each other, and days before his passing they celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary. They had countless adventures together, large and small, and lived across New York and Massachusetts.
A celebration of Zac’s life will be held on June 27.
The Anderson Funeral Home, 25 Fitchburg Road, Ayer, is assisting the family with funeral arrangements and will provide more details as they become available.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Civil Liberties Union, Southern Poverty Law Center, , or Human Rights Campaign.
Joseph LaPalombara
Hamden, Connecticut and Mount Desert Island
Joseph LaPalombara, beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, scholar, teacher, and friend, passed away peacefully on June 12, 2026, at The Whitney Center, Hamden, Connecticut. He was 101. Born on May 18, 1925, to Italian immigrants Luigi LaPalombara and Helen Teutonico, Joseph rose from humble, often difficult beginnings on Chicago’s Near West Side to become a leading American scholar of comparative politics and Italian society. His life embodied the promise of education, perseverance, and intellectual curiosity.
A high school dropout at sixteen, Joe worked in factories and defense industries during World War II, including in roles that supported the war effort. Through a wartime admissions program, he attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated with highest honors and served as president of both the Student Senate and his Senior Class. Joseph went on to earn his Ph.D. in political science from Princeton University in 1954 and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Italy, 1957-58.
Joseph’s academic career spanned nearly six decades at Yale University, where he was The Arnold Wolfers Professor of Political Science and Management. He twice chaired Yale’s Department of Political Science, directed The Institution for Social and Policy Studies, and helped foster the development of Yale’s School of Management. Before joining Yale in 1964, he taught at Oregon State University and Michigan State University, where he also chaired the Dept. of Political Science.
A pioneering American political scientist specializing in comparative politics, interest group theory, and international political economy, Joseph authored or co-authored more than a dozen books and hundreds of articles in scientific journals, magazines, and newsprint in the U.S. and Italy. He was internationally recognized as a leading authority on Italian politics and society. In recognition of his contributions to Italian scholarship and culture, LaPalombara was named Knight and later Knight Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
In addition to his academic work, Joseph consulted for governmental agencies, foundations, and major international organizations. and non-governmental organizations, including the Foreign Service Institute, USAID, the CIA, the Ford and the Rockefeller Foundations, the Social Science Research Council, the National Industrial Conference Board of New York, IBM, Exxon-Mobil, E.R. Grace, Union Carbide, Praxair, General Electric and Multinational Strategies, Inc., of which he was a founder and president. In Italy, corporate clients included ENI, Telecom Italia, FIAT and SIAD. From 1980-81 he served as First Secretary and Director of the Cultural Section of the U.S. Embassy in Rome. He was vice-president of the American Political Science Association, President of the Conference Group for the Study of Italian Politics and Society, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as the New York Council on Foreign Policy. He received numerous honors throughout his distinguished career, including Yale University’s DeVane Medal for outstanding scholarship and teaching.
Yet, for all his accomplishments, Joe’s family knew him as simply Gufo–Italian for “owl”– a nickname lovingly bestowed upon the bespeckled scholar by his wife, Constance, whose 2023 death was a profound loss to him. Gufo was a larger-than-life, brilliant, charming, opinionated, passionate man, with a wonderful sense of humor, and an encyclopedic memory of the world and his 101 years navigating it. A man of enormous intellect, he delighted in spirited conversations about politics, history, literature, sports, the arts and current events. He loved fiercely, encouraged intellectual pursuits and excellence, championed the arts, and was the best storyteller his family has ever known. He remained intellectually engaged until the very end.
Joseph is survived by his three children from his first marriage to Lyda (Tidy) LaPalombara: Richard LaPalombara (Carol Ann Phelps), David LaPalombara (Robin Webb), and Susan LaPalombara (Marc Frohman); his cherished granddaughters Paia LaPalombara (Lee Schott), Alicia LaPalombara (Zachary Ciccone), Zoe LaPalombara (Michael Poznansky), and Hannah LaPalombara; and his five beloved great-grandchildren Rowan and Lane Schott; Solomon and Sabina LaPalombara Ciccone; and Ari LaPalombara-Poznansky. He was predeceased by his wife, Constance; his brother, Richard LaPalm; and his half-sister, Jane Garoppolo.
One of Gufo’s greatest gifts to his family was his enduring love of Downeast Maine. Beginning in the 1960s, he brought his children to Mount Desert Island, where he later built a home that became the center of family life. Around countless dinner tables overlooking Maine’s waters, he entertained generations with stories spanning a century of living. Through him, his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren inherited not only a love of Maine, but also a sense of wonder about the wider world.
Joseph will be remembered not only for his scholarship and public service but also for his storytelling, his booming laugh, his fierce loyalty, his generosity of spirit, and his unwavering belief in the value of knowledge and intellectual engagement. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him, yet his legacy will live on in the many lives he touched, the students he inspired, the family he cherished, and the stories that will continue to be told in his memory. His stories, like his influence, will echo across generations.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Friends of Acadia or the ACLU.
Virgil Q. Gray Sr.
Southwest Harbor and Ellsworth
Virgil Q. Gray Sr. passed away peacefully on June 11, 2026.
Virgil was born on February 6, 1944, in Jonesport, Maine, to Millard and Virginia Gray. He attended Jonesport schools before moving to Southwest Harbor during his teen years. It was during this time that he met the love of his life, Lorraine Scott. The two were married on June 19, 1965, and shared nearly 61 years together.
He spent his life working in several positions, but was most known for his autobody work, including his own auto body shop, Gray’s Autobody, in Southwest Harbor. Virgil and Lorraine made their home in Ellsworth, where they spent the past 35 years.
Virgil’s favorite place was “at camp” with Lorraine. Together, they spent more than 30 summers camping. During those years, they formed many lasting friendships and memories. Wintertime you could find him in the cellar busy with woodworking projects.
Above all else, Virgil’s greatest pride and joy were his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a Papa like no other, and the love, wisdom, guidance, and life lessons he shared will continue to live on through them.
He was predeceased by his parents, Millard and Virginia; brother, Roger Gray, Sr.; as well as infant brother, Vincent.
Virgil is survived by his wife, Lorraine. Together, they were an incredible team, providing a true example of love, commitment, and partnership.
He also leaves behind his daughter, Karen Gray; grandson, Robert Brown, III; granddaughter, Michelle Long, and great-granddaughter, Peyton; granddaughter, Kari Farris, her husband, Nick, and great-granddaughter, Finley; son, Virgil Gray Jr., his wife, Anne, and their sons, Tucker and Carter.
He also leaves a special cousin, Annette “baby sister” Emerson; and two special nephews, Roger Gray Jr. and Michael Manchester.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, August 8, 2026, at Cunningham Ridge Cemetery, Cunningham Ridge Road, Surry.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Bragdon-Kelley Funeral Home, where online condolences may be shared: www.bragdonkelley.com.
Charles H. “Chuck” Marshall
Blue Hill
The self-proclaimed “One Weird Dude” has dipped out to The Big Dance Party in the Sky. Chuck was born on September 23, 1935, he died peacefully on June 4, 2026 at the age of 90.
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was the third of five children of John L. and Mary C. (Henderson) Marshall. Chuck was a rebellious student who went on to Penn State where he excelled as a gymnast in the early 1950s, later graduating from San Diego State University. Marrying Deborah Wedgwood in 1961, they raised sons Geoffrey and Christopher while living between La Jolla, California and Edgehill in Sargentville, Maine. The family moved full-time to Maine in the early 1970s.
Chuck was an avid traveler, often road tripping in whichever Volkswagen van he owned at the time. From a year of car-camping in Europe to cross-country migrations, pilgrimages to Frank Lloyd Wright homes around the world, and trips to Burning Man, Chuck was known to head out on adventures with no clear return date.
Countless homes on the Blue Hill peninsula benefited from Chuck’s craftsmanship and care as a self-taught builder. Chuck was known on the peninsula for his three-story hexagonal home atop Sedgwick’s Christy Hill. Chuck loved his 360-degree view among the wild blueberries for 43 years before a catastrophic fire claimed the house in 2023.
While a self-described loner, Chuck still enjoyed the company of a large extended family anchored on the peninsula and around the county. While not a father figure in the traditional sense, Chuck was often present and sought to make the most of a celebration. He loved a great meal and a good conversation.
Chuck is survived by his sister Joan (Marshall) of Brennan, Connecticut, sons Geoffrey (Cathy) Marshall of Little Deer Isle, Christopher (Lisa Arhontes) Marshall of Blue Hill, grandchildren Ennis Marshall of Washington, D.C., Ella Marshall of New York City, and Annika Marshall of Blue Hill, his former wife Deborah Marshall of Little Deer Isle, nephews of the Marshall family, and an extended family of in-laws and outlaws affectionately known as “The Multi-Headed Beast,” He is preceded in death by parents and three siblings.
A celebration of life will be held later this summer. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift in Chuck’s memory to Healthy Peninsula in honor of the volunteers who deliver meals to seniors as part of Simmering Pot program: healthypeninsula.org or simmeringpot.org.
If moved, put on a Bob Dylan song, dance your own dance. Chuck would’ve loved that.
Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com.
Gary Alan Milliken
Surry
Gary Alan Milliken, 55, of Surry, went to be with the Lord on June 6, 2026, after a lengthy battle with cancer. He gracefully passed with his family surrounding him. Gary fought as hard as he could right up to his final breath, always remaining positive and determined to win the battle.
He was born October 13, 1970, in Blue Hill, the son of E. Vaughn and Lucretia (Leach) Milliken. He graduated from George Stevens Academy in the Class of 1988. He subsequently attended the New England School of Communications at Husson University, graduating in 1989.
Gary worked for several years in radio sales at the former WDME in Dover-Foxcroft (now WZLO), as an on-air personality on WWMJ in Ellsworth, at Downeast Office Supply in Ellsworth, and later worked for twenty-five years in the U.S. Postal Service in Hancock, Town Hill, Bar Harbor, and Blue Hill, retiring in 2025. He also served as a disc jockey for charitable fund-raising events and for dances at Marlintini’s Restaurant in Blue Hill and Sandy’s in Orland.
He loved music, playing in the George Stevens Academy band as a teen and as a guitarist in a band called “Lockdown.” Gary also did sound engineering for worship services at the First Congregational Church of Blue Hill and the North Sedgwick Baptist Church. He was affiliated with the North Sedgwick church for many years, from Sunday school all through his adulthood.
Gary married his wife Venus (Abraham) Milliken on November 11, 2007. They enjoyed twenty-three happy years together, most recently at their lovely home near Toddy Pond.
In addition to Venus, Gary leaves his daughter and son-in-law, Ariel and Pat Kidder; his mother and her husband, Lucretia Milliken Poole and Harold “Bud” Poole; his brother, Jason Milliken; his mother-in-law, Rachel Abraham; and a second cousin and dear friend, John Foss. He was predeceased by his father, grandparents and an infant brother.
Gary was deeply loved by his family, friends, and community. The members of his family are grateful for every share, donation, prayer and kind word as they honor and celebrate the life he lived.
Plans are being made for a memorial in the future.
Sally Jean Bridges
Penobscot
After an eight-year battle with lung cancer, Sally passed away on May 30, 2026. Born January 22, 1958, she was the daughter of Dorothy Harriman of Verona Island and Phillip Seekins of Bucksport.
Sally graduated Bucksport High School in 1976 and worked as a store clerk, hairdresser, cook and home caregiver before excelling at her favorite role in life, being a loving wife and mother of four children, beginning a career of volunteering at their school and attending hundreds of school games and activities. The yearly camping trips to Swan Lake and along the Penobscot River are great family memories, always taking everything but the kitchen sink there and back.
The Penobscot United Methodist Church was a large part of Sally’s life, from Sunday school teacher to monthly suppers and any committee she was needed on. The Fire Department was another favorite hang-out, beginning with the hunter’s breakfasts, to later joining as a fire fighter and then as the treasurer in recent years.
But being the town clerk was where Sally thrived, with the meeting of community locals and the greeting of new residents. The more people she got to know, the more she grew to love the area and the lifestyle it offered.
When Sally considered you a friend, it was for always. Her grandchildren were a joy she cherished, enjoying every moment with them. We will all miss her, keeping her alive in our hearts till time ends.
Sally is survived by her husband, Lennie, of Penobscot; and daughter, Kate, and her partner, Mike, of Blue Hill; son, Sam, and his wife, Erinn, of Penobscot; daughter, Mary, and her husband, Victor, of West Hartford, Conn.; and son, Harvard, and his wife, Allie, of Hampden; her grandchildren, Colton, Annie, Ellie, Addie and Sera; her mother, Dottie, and father, Phil; her sister, Ailean; and many in-laws, nieces, nephews and cousins.
Sally was predeceased by her brother, David Seekins, and stepfather, Mike Harriman.
The family will hold a private burial at a later date. In lieu of flowers, we ask donations be made to either the Penobscot United Methodist Church or the Penobscot Fire Department.
David William Kee
Bucksport
What little bit of growing up David did started December 27, 1939, in Glendale, West (by God) Virginia, as the well loved only child of William A. Kee and Eleanor M. (Dunlap) Kee. David William Kee died on June 17, 2026.
He lived in McMechen, WV, until age 17, and graduated without distinction from the local high school, Benwood Union. He moved on to West Virginia University, majored in fraternity life and latched onto a couple of scholarships to attend and graduate from West Virginia University College of Law in 1966.
When he wasn’t aimlessly wandering and polluting the streets of Bucksport, Maine, or Sarasota, Florida, with cigar smoke, David was honored and privileged to serve his nation, adopted state of Maine, county, town and profession. He was a captain and special agent in the Army Counter-Intelligence Corps (not a spy); appointed to three 5-year terms as a Maine Human Rights Commissioner; appointed to the Governor’s Substance Abuse Services Commission; twice elected Hancock County Prosecuting Attorney; advocate, board member and counsel for the Next Step Domestic Violence Project of Hancock County; a professor of Admiralty Law at Maine Maritime Academy, trustee of the Buck Memorial Library, and elected to serve three terms on Bucksport Town Council.
David was a founding partner of Fellows, Kee, Tymoczko & Lewis, which became the best (and for many years, only) law firm in Bucksport. He was elected president of the Maine State Bar and was the first director of the Maine Assistance Program for Lawyers and Judges, created by the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine to respond to mental health and substance abuse issues in the legal profession. The Maine State Bar Association recognized David for his service with its most prestigious honor, the John W. Ballou Award.
Several forays into marital bliss produced three loving and wonderful children, Christopher Kee of North Hampton, New Hampshire, Kimberly Kee (Peter Maher) of Exeter, New Hampshire, and Jason Kee of Sarasota, Florida. He has been graced with four wonderful grandchildren as well, Stephanie Kee, Dustin Kee, Cameron Maher and Nathanael “Nate the Great” Kee, all of whom have turned out great, in part due to David early on serving more as a warning than an example.
He was a proud and grateful member of Alcoholics Anonymous for more than 44 years.
For more than 44 years his wife, Paula, was willing to share her amazing existence with him as the world’s greatest, most insightful and loveliest traveling companion, the true center of his universe.
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