1928 – 2013

SCARBOROUGH — Bertrand Albert Dumais passed away peacefully at his winter residence in Scarborough, surrounded by his immediate family. Bert succumbed to an acute form of leukemia, against which he battled to give us 28 bonus and blessed months of his precious life.

Bert was born in Livermore Falls, on Oct. 15, 1928. He attended schools in Livermore Falls and later went to what was then known as Farmington State Teachers College in Farmington. During his college career he moved to California with his family, where he attended Long Beach State, from 1947 to 1948. He later returned to Maine and graduated from Farmington with a degree in education in 1949.

He enlisted in the 101st Airborne Division as an infantryman in 1949. He was deployed to Korea during the Korean Conflict, from 1949 to 1951.

Bert married the love of his life, Earlene Ann Adams, in March 1952. They recently celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary with their family at the home of their daughter, Julie.

In 1953, Bert and Earlene settled in Skowhegan, where Bert began a lifelong career in education and community service. Bert’s first teaching position was as a math and science teacher at the Skowhegan Junior High. During his time as a teacher in the ’50s, Bert served an assistant varsity football and assistant varsity basketball coach at Skowhegan High School. In 1961, Bert took a position at Skowhegan High School as a math teacher. In 1966 he was named the school’s assistant principal, a position he held for 22 years until he retired in 1988.

1953 was a momentous year for Bert as it also marked the beginning of a dedicated 36-year career as an official at the Skowhegan State Fair. Bert served as the organization’s superintendent of tickets until he served as the fair’s general manager, from 1981 until he resigned in 1989.

Bert had many other vocations and passions during his very active life. He was an accomplished butcher, a trade he learned as a youngster working at his dad’s grocery store during World War II; he was a member of the Maine Principals Association, he was a high school football official and served as an officer of the Central Maine Football Officials Association.

Retirement from his education career didn’t slow Bert down. During the summers, he was a clubhouse manager for 20 years at his beloved Lakewood Golf Course. He also played weekly golf tournaments with Central Maine Seniors with his foursome. During the winters, Bert and Earlene lived in Jekyll Island, Ga., where they golfed, biked, explored the beach, entertained family and volunteered at the local hospital.

He is survived by his wife, Earlene; his children, Jeffrey Lynn Dumais and wife, Julie Harrison, Brian Peter Dumais, Julie Ann Dumais-Dore and husband, Larry, Laurie Ellen and husband, Larry Palow, of Windham; his sisters, Ernestine Ohler of Augusta, Eloise Gravel of Livermore Falls, and Camille “Mimi” Brown and her husband, Jim, of Albuquerque, N.M.; his sister-in law, Mary Ellen Coughlan of Foxboro, Mass.; his nine grandchildren, Jacqueline Dore of New York City, N.Y., Peter Dore of Scarborough, Michael Palow of Portland, Danielle and Elliot Dumais, Scarborough, Eliza and Derek Palow of Windham, Madeleine Dumais of Seattle, Wash., and Julia Lauren of Littleton, Colo.; and more than a dozen nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his son, Peter Earl; his parents, Laura and Joseph Ernest Dumais; his sisters, Annette Hoag and Claire Russell; and his brother, Bernard Dumais.