Bernita Joyce Pelkey. William “Bill” C. Reiff. Gail Fairman Cook. Clement Edward McGillicuddy. Jeffrey L. Parsons.
“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.
Bernita Joyce Pelkey
Southwest Harbor
Bernita Joyce Pelkey, 75, passed away peacefully on August 13, 2026, surrounded by family after a short and courageous battle with cancer.
Bernita was a loving mother, Grammie, sister, aunt, and friend. She is survived by her son, Justin Griffin, and his wife, Amy; her brother, Spencer Joyce, and his wife, Wendy; nieces Emmie Sawyer and Jaime Rose; nephew Joshua Joyce; her beloved grandchildren, Harper, Brooklyn, and Brady; and many other family members and dear friends, all of whom held a special place in her heart.
Bernita was predeceased by her father, Llewellyn Joyce; her mother, Laura Joyce; and her loving husband, Richard Pelkey.
Bernita was also blessed with a wonderful bonus family whom she loved dearly: Joseph and Melissa Pelkey, Jacob and Heather Pelkey, and two special kiddos, Colton and Lakelyn. They brought so much love and joy into her life.
Bernita had a heart that seemed to have room for everyone. She touched countless lives through her kindness, compassion, and willingness to always lend an ear or a helping hand. She was the person people could turn to when they needed someone to listen, someone to care, or simply someone to be there. Her friendship was a gift, and the love she gave so freely will continue to live on in all those who knew her.
Bernita will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing her. While our hearts are broken by her passing, we find comfort in knowing that she is now at peace and reunited with those she loved who went before her. We know she is resting in the loving arms of the Lord, where there is no more pain, only everlasting peace.
Bernita’s family welcomes you to join them in celebrating her life at the place that meant so much to her — Swan’s Island.
A graveside service will be held at Rose Hill Cemetery on September 19 at 12:30 p.m. Following the service, family and friends are invited to gather at the Church of God.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Church of God, 77 Rose Hill Road, Swan’s Island, ME 04685.
William “Bill” C. Reiff
Mount Desert
William Cecil Reiff, known to most as Bill, died unexpectedly but peacefully in his sleep on August 18th, 2026. The family is a bit mad about the unexpected part, but he usually got what he wanted, and he had been promising a suffer-free passing any time anyone mentioned death. For all of his 83 years he did a great job of manifesting his destiny of charting his own course, so naturally this was no exception.
Bill was born on April 1st, 1943 in Fort Benning, GA to Drs. William Henry Reiff and Maxine Hoffer Reiff. Medicine was thought to be his future, but he never wanted to spend that much time around sick people, so he became a criminal defense attorney instead. The irony is not what killed him.
He grew up in Oklahoma City, OK, and after his high school years spent creating social confusion as he learned to ride motorcycles while also being a horned-rimmed glasses-wearing member of the German Club, he graduated and went into the United States Army. With his unit narrowly avoiding deployment in Vietnam, he served his time almost entirely on American soil before heading to college at Oklahoma City University, and then on to Harvard Law School, where he graduated with his J.D. in 1970.
After practicing law in Houston for thirteen years, he found his way to the coast of Maine in the summer of 1983, where he lived until his death.
Bill was a pilot, a sailor, a collector of cars, boats, and anything unique that piqued his interest. He taught himself how to weld, how to sew, how to play the guitar, and how to speak Spanish fluently from watching telenovelas on Univision. If he wanted to figure it out, he would, and he’d share his new skills with the masses, whether they were up for it or not.
He loved to travel and he hated cats. He thought tripe was delicious and otherwise ate like a cholesterol-crazed black bear, subsisting mostly on butter, cream, nuts, berries and sweets. His laugh was contagious and for those of you who were lucky enough to experience it, you’ll probably never hear another like it. He was a problem-solver through and through, and there was no crossword puzzle, legal matter or mechanical conundrum that he couldn’t figure out with patience, humor and his incredible intellect. He spoke three languages fluently and was passable enough in others to order a beer and make a friend in any country in the world he found himself in. He was a scholar of history and politics, he was fascinated by all religions and subscribed to none, and he loved entertaining and educating others on his ideas pertaining to all.
Bill never complained about anything; he simply moved on from roadblocks. He lived his life stress-free, “letting others do the heavy lifting in that regard”. Everyone near him usually ended up with an “I’ll have what he’s having” kind of feeling, and every moment of his life was lived on his own terms, most of it while laughing. He was a frequent husband, a good date, and an extremely dedicated father and granddad.
He is survived by his wife Tina (Trull) Reiff; son William Radley Reiff of Austin, TX, daughter Susan (Reiff) Allen and her husband Andrew of Southwest Harbor, son William Marshall Reiff and partner Katie Tanner of Nashua, NH: step-daughters Morgan Annie Harper and Jordan Sam Harper and her partner Garrett Foster; granddaughters Lily Clare Allen, Violet Jane Allen, Cecelia Mae Jalbert and Zoey Noelle Jalbert; sisters Patricia Reiff and Kaethe Stella and twelve nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
Friends are invited to call 5-7pm, Thurs., August 27, 2026 at Jordan-Fernald, 1139 Main St., Mt. Desert. A private burial will be held at Brookside Cemetery, Mt. Desert. A Celebration of Bill’s life will be held at 2 pm, Sept. 6, 2026 at the Causeway Club, red barn, 10 Fernald Point Rd, Southwest Harbor.
Those who desire may make contributions in Bill’s memory to the Westside Food Pantry, PO Box 265, Southwest Harbor, ME 04679.
Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com
Gail Fairman Cook
Northeast Harbor, Maine, and West Palm Beach, Florida
Gail Cook, 88, of Northeast Harbor, Maine, and West Palm Beach, Florida, died peacefully in her home on Mount Desert Island. Born in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, to Marie and Endsley Fairman, Gail grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. After graduating from the Tower Hill School and Bennett College, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked for the U.S. Office of Strategic Services. In 1960, she married Kevit R. Cook and in 1968 moved to Sherborn, Massachusetts, where she lived for many years, raising her family and finally relocating to Palm Beach, Flordia, in 1996. A lifelong summer resident of Northeast Harbor, Gail grew up captaining her grandmother’s A boat, the Colleen, in the Northeast Harbor Fleet’s series races. She never lost her love of sailing and crewed for a number of IOD skippers well into her 70s.
Gail loved Mount Desert Island and all the activities that brought her closer to the natural beauty of this place, gardening and birding in particular. She worked in service to many, many organizations, serving as president, secretary, trustee, and parliamentarian of the Garden Club of Mount Desert, Friends of Acadia, the Northeast Harbor Library, the Garden Club of America, the Northeast Harbor Fleet, the Vincent Memorial Hospital, Saint Mary’s by the Sea, and others. She had a tennis foursome that lasted over 20 years, was an avid bridge player, and was active in the numerous clubs to which she belonged.
She was predeceased by her husband and leaves behind her two daughters, Cecily Cook of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Lida Cook of Durham, N.C., her son-in-law Ray Isle, and three grandchildren: Mimi Isle of Rome, Italy, Catherine Fay of Dublin, Calif., and Brad Fay of Greenville, N.C. She also leaves behind her beloved sisters, Lanie Lincoln of North Andover, Mass., and Winkie Gummey of Mendenhall, Pa., as well as her dear brother-in-law, Tad Lincoln; five nieces and nephews, their spouses, and eight grandnephews and nieces. She loved the extended Disston clan in Northeast Harbor and the house she built on Sargent Point.
A memorial service will be held for Gail in summer 2027. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Northeast Harbor Fleet Sailing School, the Northeast Harbor Library, or the Mount Desert Island Hospital.
Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com.
Clement Edward McGillicuddy
New York City and Northeast Harbor
Clement Edward McGillicuddy died peacefully at home in Manhattan, New York, on August 3, 2026, surrounded by his family. He was 84 years old.
Clem was born in Houlton, Maine, on April 22, 1942, the son of Joseph H. and Mary (Vose) McGillicuddy. He graduated in 1964 from the University of Maine, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Fraternity and the honor societies The Sophomore Owls and The Senior Skulls. In the summer of 1965, he worked on a crew clearing brush in Houlton for the extension of I-95 through northern Maine. When outdoor work halted for the winter, he got an office job in Houlton with Howard Needles, the engineering firm in charge of building the road. Some months later, he was invited to work in their New York City office in a field just opening up: computer programming. He then worked for Loeb Rhoades, where he met and married Linda, a fellow computer analyst. They would go on to establish their own software business that specialized in Wall Street communications systems. In 1981, they retired from computer consulting and moved to Palm Beach, Florida.
As a young boy of 8, Clem began reading Business Week, developing his passion for learning everything he could about stocks and investing. His goal was to retire at age 30 and for investing to become his life’s work. He succeeded. One could always find him reading multiple investment journals, books and magazines.
He was also involved in civic and cultural affairs, traveled, played tennis, collected art, and donated to good causes — in particular, to the University of Maine, his alma mater where he set up The McGillicuddy Humanities Center. After Palm Beach, the family lived in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Jupiter Island, Florida. In Hobe Sound, he partnered with Cleveland Clinic to create a program to offer free healthcare for disadvantaged children.
He summered for 42 years in Northeast Harbor, Maine, where he was a member of the Northeast Harbor Tennis Club and the Pot and Kettle. Clem was a past president of the Pot and Kettle, a club that he treasured. He was also a member of Mensa, the Jupiter Island Club, Farmington Country Club, The Wiz Kids and the Knickerbocker Club.
Clem is survived by his wife of 51 years, Linda; his son, Steven, and his wife, Jessica; his daughter, Annie, and her husband, Max Maeder; grandchildren Jonathan, Jameson, and Elizabeth McGillicuddy, and Olivia and Molly Maeder; a sister, Barbara, and her husband, Francis X. Bolton; brother, Charles, and his wife, Ann Chase; nieces and nephews and grandnieces, and grandnephews. He was predeceased by his brother Thomas.
Clem had wonderful health care aides for the last year, Emmanuel Achempong and Isaac Obiri, who made each day worthwhile. His doctors, Dr Timothy Dutta and Dr Frank Lui, enriched his life and are truly the finest health professionals.
Clem loved his family. He had a wonderful, fulfilled life, and he would be the first to say that. He always said that he was lucky. Clem was a brilliant, humble, caring, gentle man who deserved his blessed life and who will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Jeffrey L. Parsons
Bernard
Jeffrey L. Parsons, 73, died peacefully on August 17, 2026, at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center. He was born March 19, 1953, in Bar Harbor. Jeffrey was the son of the late Allen C. Parsons Sr. and Elizabeth M. (Hamblen) Parsons.
Jeffrey was married to his high school sweetheart, Lynn (Lynch) Parsons, for 53 years until her passing in January of 2026. He was a loving husband, a great father, an avid Patriots fan, and a lifelong dog and cat lover.
A well-known and cherished member of the island community, Jeff worked locally at McEachern & Hutchins and Hammond Lumber for more than 35 years. He was widely loved by his coworkers and customers and was known across the island for his kindness and dependable nature.
Jeff is survived by his son, Christopher Parsons, wife Danielle and granddaughter Ava Parsons of Greenville, R.I.; brother Allen Parsons Jr. and wife, Kathy of Franklin, Maine; and sister Jennifer Pelletier and husband, Bill of Tremont, Maine. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. Besides his wife, Jeff was also preceded in death by his son, Shaun Parsons.
Jeff will be dearly missed by all who knew him.
In accordance with his wishes, there will be no service. Burial arrangements will be private, and he will be laid to rest with his loving wife and son.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the SPCA of Hancock County, 141 Bar Harbor Road, Trenton, ME 04605.
Condolences may be expressed at www.acadiacremation.com.
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