Nancy Clark. Hilda Margareta Karlsson Roderick. Raymond Hisler Jr. Dorothy Jean Gray Grant.
Sep 20, 2026
“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.
Nancy Clark
Southwest Harbor
Nancy Jenkins Clark, wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother passed at her home September 12, 2026, at the age of 89. She was born April 20, 1937, in Bar Harbor to Roy and Jenny Jenkins of Northeast Harbor.
Nancy grew up in Northeast Harbor and graduated with one of the first classes of the new Mount Desert High School in 1955. She went on to earn her licensed practical nursing degree in St. John New Brunswick.
Nancy met her future husband, Keith Clark, in Bar Harbor while spending time with friends, and they were married June 19, 1960. They celebrated 66 years of marriage this year. Together they had three children, five grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
In her younger years, Nancy worked at MDI Hospital, as well as doing private duty nursing on the Island. Later, she worked at The Jackson Laboratory, then left to work with Keith as they built their business, Keith Clark Distributors.
When the kids were little, Nancy and Keith took great pleasure in their annual trips to the Caribbean, where she would spend hours on the beach. She loved being on the water, summers aboard the “Rotten Root” in Blue Hill Bay with family and friends. Nancy greatly enjoyed the daily coffee hour talks with “Mother Mitchell” for 50 plus years, before Janet’s passing. Shopping was one of Nancy’s loved pastimes, and she took many trips with Tammy and granddaughters for back-to-school shopping and always made sure Christmas was special for everyone. She was always the best-dressed gal.
Nancy, having a soft spot for dogs, had lots of four-legged friends she nurtured, including Dude, Ace, Zach, Jack, Jill plus grand pups she always walked—Buddy, Mossy and Duggan.
Love for her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren always brough a sparkle to her eyes.
Nancy is survived by her husband, Keith “Slick” Clark; daughter, Tammy Dickey and husband, William “Billy” of Lamoine and their children, Kirstien Davidson and husband, Andy of Hampden and William “Willy” Dickey and wife, Brittany of Penobscot; son, Eric and wife, Deborah of Southwest Harbor and their children, Christopher and partner, Ashley of Southwest Harbor, Kyle and wife, Samantha of Gouldsboro, Katelyn Dostie and husband, Corbin of Windsor; son, Vaughn and wife, Julie of Southwest Harbor.
Her parents, Roy and Jenny, and sister, Ida Smallidge, all predeceased Nancy.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, Thursday, September 17, 2026, at the Seaside United Church of Christ, 21 Summit Rd, Northeast Harbor, ME.
Donations in Nancy’s memory may be made to the Seaside United Church of Christ, PO Box 555, Northeast Harbor, ME 04662.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Bragdon-Kelley Funeral Home, Ellsworth, where online condolences may be shared: www.bragdonkelley.com.
Hilda Margareta Karlsson Roderick
Bar Harbor
Hilda Karlsson Roderick, a Bar Harbor resident for more than sixty years, a longtime leader in Maine Girl Scouting, and a research biochemist, died May 20, 2026, in Portland. She was 98.
Hilda came to the island in 1958, newly married, and never left. She raised her twins on Seely Road, worked as a research assistant at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, and served as president of the Council of Northern Maine Girl Scouts, giving many years to international Girl Guiding and traveling to world conferences on behalf of Maine scouting.
Hilda was born in Washington, D.C., the first American-born child of a Swedish horticulturist and a German mother, and grew up on a Maryland farm in a house that spoke German and kept Swedish traditions. Her father taught her the botanical names of every plant they passed in the fields. She loved mathematics and science, joined 4-H, and carried its pledge with her for the rest of her life: hands to larger service, heart to greater loyalty, head to clearer thinking.
In 1944, at seventeen, she left home for Berea College in Kentucky, traveling alone by train with a foot-locker of clothes and several dresses sewn from chicken-feed sacks. Berea, a work-study college that charges no tuition, shaped her profoundly. She graduated in 1948 with a degree in biochemistry and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She remained an active and outspoken ambassador for the College for the rest of her life.
Hilda earned a master’s in biochemistry at the University of Oklahoma and a teaching credential at Berkeley, California, where she taught high school chemistry. As a research assistant at Berkeley, she met Thomas Huston Roderick, a graduate student in genetics. They married on her thirty-first birthday and moved to Bar Harbor, where Tom joined The Jackson Laboratory.
In Bar Harbor, Hilda’s smile was familiar and welcoming. She was a dedicated community member and maintained a keen interest in Coastal Maine’s people and natural history.
She was predeceased by her husband, Thomas, in 2013, and is survived by her daughter and son, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
An informal memorial gathering will be held on Saturday, September 26, at 2 p.m. at the cove on Seely Road in Bar Harbor. The path down to the cove is short but uneven; wear sturdy shoes.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Hilda Roderick Lecture at Berea College, CPO 1855, Attn: Tresa Kash Davis, Berea, Kentucky 40404, or online at give.berea.edu.
Raymond Hisler Jr.
Bar Harbor and Waterville
“Now I lay me down to sleep …” was the first prayer Gerry and Robin Grindle taught us, and they were the last words spoken by Raymond Hisler Jr. On Sept. 3, 2026, at 10:52 a.m., that became his reality again, with his sisters by his side, in Waterville. Ray was born Sept. 26, 1964, in Bar Harbor, and grew up in several towns in Hancock County.
He worked for 40 years, off and on, for Harold MacQuinn Construction as a truck driver and heavy equipment operator.
Ray comes from a family of truck drivers including his father, Ray Sr., brother Don, and dating back to his great-grandfather, Cleve, and his brother, Myrick, who owned and operated a mill and trucking company. He loved and lived to work, especially in his last dump truck Paul MacQuinn bought new just for Ray. He spoke fondly of the MacQuinns: Harold, Ronnie and Paul, and also Gayla and her husband Guy Edwards. Ray’s family would like to give a special thanks to Paul MacQuinn for his kindness and generosity to Ray over the years.
Whether an illness, operation, or just being in need, Paul went beyond the generosity of a boss and was more like a brother. Thank you, Paul.
Ray was predeceased by his parents Raymond Hisler Sr. and Diane Kane, and by his son and best friend Eddie Fowler. He is survived by his daughter Amanda Hallett and family of Hancock; son William Hisler and family of Franklin; brother Donald Hisler of Connecticut; sister Nancy Cunningham and family of Surry; and sister Karen Allen and husband Jeff of Waterville. He is also survived by his niece Courtney, who is “pretty just like her uncle,” nephew AJ, and many grandchildren that will miss him dearly. A special mention and thank you to a very good friend throughout the years, who wasn’t afraid to “tell him like it is,” Rebecca Davis Crabtree. Thank you, Becky, for your kindness and generosity in his hour of need. A Celebration of Life will be at McQuinn’s pit, in Hancock on Sept. 26 at 11 a.m. A graveside service will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your local SPCA.
Dorothy Jean Gray Grant
Molasses Pond and Mount Desert Island
Dorothy “Dottie” Jean Gray Grant, 71, passed away peacefully on Sept. 7, 2026. She was born May 23, 1955, on Mount Desert Island, the daughter of Shirley Leon Gray and Virginia Salisbury Gray.
Dottie graduated from Ellsworth High School, class of 1974. She had a successful nail care business, Perfect 10, for nearly 30 years in downtown Ellsworth. Dottie was never afraid of an adventure or challenge, spending much of her adult life on Molasses Pond, where she easily made friends and where she lived with her husband Myron Grant for over 20 years.
Dottie is survived by her nephews, James and Jason Harmon (wife Megan), her stepson Buzzy Grant, and many great nephews and nieces. She is also survived by her caring sisters, Mary and Sheila, and their brother Carl. Dottie is predeceased by her husband Myron Grant, twin sister Linda Gray Harmon, sister Barbie Gray and both parents. “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.” Psalm 126:2. Dottie was spirited and full of life and will be greatly missed by all who loved her.
A service of remembrance will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at Jordan-Fernald, 113 Franklin St., Ellsworth. Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com.