Just L. Wold, 94, who died Feb. 15, 2025, was a born adventurer. From daring life-and-limb endangering childhood escapades in Bath, rescuing lost hunters in the North woods, to fighting in the Korean War and running an apple orchard, Just rarely stood still.  

Born in 1930 in Bath, Maine, he lived on Court Street among the Wold family cluster of homes. His paternal grandparents, Just and Tilly, were the glue that kept the family close. They had come from Norway and Sweden during The Great Migration in the 1890s. 

His father, Leslie J. Wold, was a laborer at the Hyde Windlass factory. Just’s mother, Celia LeFebvre Wold, was descended from French ancestors who had migrated to Canada. Their summer cottage, at Brigham’s Cove in West Bath, was a favorite family gathering place. 

Just was always working or looking for work, and one summer – at age 14 - he landed a job at the Sprucewold Lodge. He had a room there and got up every morning at 5 a.m. to haul firewood in a handcart to every cabin in the development. At each stop he would start the fire for them so their cabins would be warm when they awoke. Boothbay Harbor held a special place in his heart thereafter.  

His career began in Army Intelligence and Communications in the late 1940s, and he was sent to Korea. His favorite story was that, in 1951, he had the dubious honor of handing General Douglas McArthur (Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the Pacific during World War II) the memo that relieved him of his command from President Harry S. Truman.  

After Korea, he joined the Brunswick Naval Air Station as Communications Officer – he was one of the first non-Navy officers in the country. His job took him on military flights all over the world, from the Azores and Spain to Iceland, Japan and Germany.  

In 1953, he married his childhood sweetheart Jeanne Leonard, who he had met in dance class when they were children. They settled in Woolwich, buying an old farmhouse with 100 acres of land and renovating it over the years while raising three children. But Woolwich was a remote place, and his children were lonely and bored in summers, driving their mother crazy.  

So Just bought them an island on Lake Pemaquid. It was a place where the children could find friends, be out in boats all day or working at the Campground, and Jeanne could enjoy peace and quiet in the sun until they all came home from work. The island cemented and defined the family, creating memories that are still cherished.  

When Just retired at 55, Jeanne decided he needed a project: Clarks Cove Farm in South Bristol. The 100-year-old apple orchard needed reviving, and the house and barn were ideal for a B&B. Jeanne knew this would keep them both busy and healthy. 

Just brought 100+ apple trees back to life, some varieties had not been seen in Maine in decades. He built a cider press area in the carriage house where they sold apples and cider and Jeanne’s apple pies in the Fall. He turned the barn into apartments where paying guests and family stayed and enjoyed views of the orchard and pond. His grandchildren, Zachary Havas, Nicholas Havas, Mitch Codd, Grady Codd, Brianne Weiland and Warren Martin loved that farm.  

In 1998 they sold the farm and moved to Florida. Four hurricanes later, a move to Tennessee. When their beloved son, Just Aric Wold, died in 2013, they decided they wanted to be nearer family and followed daughter Melissa to Scottsdale, Arizona. The love of his life, Jeanne, died in 2020, and Just eventually moved to his new home in Surprise, Arizona where he made new friends and healed. He spent as much time as was physically possible at his daughter Melanie’s cabins in Boothbay Harbor.  

Just is survived by his daughters, Melanie Wold Martin of Boothbay Harbor and London, England and Melissa Wold Salandro of Buckeye, Arizona. Just considered their husbands, Melissa’s late husband Jerry Salandro, Melanie’s husband Shamus Martin, and Melanie’s first husband Peter Havas, to be among his best friends.   

A celebration of Just’s life will be held in Maine at a future date.