Obituary

Earl Pearse, obituary

Sat, 11/22/2014 - 10:15am

HOPE — Earl Lester Pearse, 88, a life-long resident of Hope, died Nov. 18, 2014, at Knox Center For Long Term Care in Rockland. Born in Hope on Dec. 23, 1925, he was the son of Aubrey Lester and Cora Velma (Dennison) Pearse. He was educated at Camden High School before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, in the European Theatre.

On Jan. 27, 1950, he married Joye True. They enjoyed 38 years of marriage and raising their five children before she died in 1988.

Earl grew up on a farm and always possessed a strong work ethic. He lived his entire life farming, working in the woods and working in a variety of jobs. In his younger years, he worked as a logger hauling pulpwood and Christmas trees to the Boston market. In the 1950s, he owned and operated a poultry farm. He worked for the state of Maine doing road construction and ran his own dairy farm. He was a founding member of the Hope Volunteer Fire Department and had served as the first assistant fire chief. An avid snowmobiler who would put more than 2,000 miles annually on his snowmobile, in the 1970s and 1980s, Earl devoted his time to the Hatchet Mountain Snowmobile Club and throughout the state grooming the trails. For several years, Earl and Joye owned and operated the Hope General Store before selling it in 1974.

In 1988, Earl sold 100 head of cattle and his dairy farm to his sons, Eric and Timothy. He was proud of his team of work horses and enjoyed harnessing them up to a sleigh at Christmas time for local functions. His children thought of their father as "Dr. Doolittle," as he instinctively knew when a farm animal or pet had a medical issue and miraculously treated them with old remedies.

Through his native intelligence, he also built a number of buildings in Hope doing the carpentry, electrical and plumbing work himself. The American Red Cross was the recipient of many pints of blood from Earl as he had a rare blood type and could be called upon at a moment's notice.

In 1990, he married Elizabeth Alden Vanzant. She died in 2005.

Earl will be remembered as a devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend to all who knew him.

Surviving are his four sons, Tony Pearse of Alaska, Robert Pearse, Timothy Pearse and his wife, Judith, and Eric Pearse and his girlfriend, Renee Kimball, all of Hope; his daughter, Trina Rollins and her husband, Greg, of West Rockport; a sister, Lois Benner of Owls Head; 10 grandchildren, Andrew Pearse, Travis Pearse, Shay Harrison, Bree Harrison, Joshua Pearse, Levi Rollins, Jacob Rollins, Tyler Pearse, Jason Pearse and Benjamin Pearse; five great-grandchildren; one great-great grandchild; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his first wife, Joye Pearse; his second wife, Elizabeth Vanzant; and a sister, Bertha Dickey.

Calling hours will be held Tuesday, Nov. 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Long Funeral Home, 9 Mountain St. in Camden. Interment will be private and held at the convenience of the family in Hope Grove Cemetery.

If desired, memorial gifts may be made to the Hope Volunteer Fire Department Inc., 475 Camden Road, Hope, ME 04847.