Richard C. Wallace of Boothbay Harbor passed away peacefully on Dec. 7, 2019. The youngest child of Erville and Ethel (Gilman) Wallace, Richard was born on Sept. 25, 1930, at their home on Sea Street. He attended the town’s west side elementary school on Oak Street and graduated from Boothbay Harbor High School with the class of 1950.

In his youth he developed a strong work ethic, taking passenger ferry the Nellie G. to Squirrel Island to sell flowers from his mother’s gardens, walking door-to-door delivering the Boothbay Register, and working at Marine Service on Commercial Street while he was in high school.

He was a member of the Maine National Guard, and he mobilized and served in the Army during the Korean War. Stationed in Georgia, he reached the rank of staff sergeant before being honorably discharged and returning to Maine in 1952.

In his early adult years he worked in shipyards in the Boothbay Region and in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He later became a self-employed carpenter and a caretaker for homes throughout the region, with most of his time spent working in the Sprucewold area. Many seasonal customers became friends, enjoying Richard’s Maine accent during their conversations, and inviting him and his family to join them on social occasions.

He married Mary Coady in 1956, and together they raised their family of four daughters in Boothbay Harbor. In 1990, they established the Bayside Inn Bed and Breakfast at their home on Union Street. They continued to operate the bed and breakfast until 2001, when Richard and Mary moved to Greene, Maine, to help care for his mother-in-law, Verna Coady.

Richard was a former member of the American Legion and a 45-year member of the Lions Club. With the Lions, he especially enjoyed serving as “tail twister” and having his daughters join him on father/daughter nights. With Mary he enjoyed many travel destinations. Favorites were the Grand Ole Opry, an Alaskan cruise, and a trip across the pond to Ireland, but he thought no place was better than Boothbay Harbor.

Richard was devoted to his family, he was full of fun, and he will be missed by many.

He is survived by his wife, Mary; his four daughters, Jane and her former husband Dan Stevens, Lynda and her husband Edward Merullo, Elizabeth and her husband John Dovinsky, and Kathryn and her husband Peter Sullivan; his grandchildren, Adam Casey and his wife Cindy, Ryan Casey and his wife Heather, Tyler Merullo, Erin and Nicholas Dovinsky, and Riley and Matthew Sullivan; his great-grandchildren Christopher Casey and Harper Casey; his sister, Genevieve Earle, and his brother, Robert Wallace; his cousin, Carol Ring; and his nieces and nephews.

The family is grateful to Brenda Artzer, the staffs at Kno-Wal-Lin, The Cottage at Lincoln Homes, Dr. Alamo, VA Togus Patriot Place, and Togus Springs, for the care and support they provided during the time Richard lived with progressing dementia.

Throughout his lifetime, Richard often noticed those among us who could use a helping hand and he quietly offered support. With this in mind, in lieu of flowers, his family asks that you please consider performing an act of kindness in Richard’s memory.

A private burial will be held, with arrangements under the direction of ww.Albert-Burpee.com. A celebration of life will be announced.