Richard W. Conant, 88, of Southport died peacefully at St Andrews Village in Boothbay Harbor on November 22, 2015.

He was born January 27,1927 in Ridgewood N.J., the second son of Richard G. and Margaret Ackerman Conant. He will be remembered by his friends and family as a cheerful, steady and always optimistic man.

Rick graduated from The Taft School in 1945 served in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant during the Korean War and graduated from Yale University with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1950. He was an avid fan of all things mechanical and in 1950 started his career working for Cincinnati Milacron where he sharpened his skills as a machinist until 1955. Having developed people skills as well, he went on to work as a shop foreman at Poly Choke, Inc. in Hartford, Conn. from 1955 to 1957. Recognizing a need to support a family, Rick redirected his energy toward sales and sold machine tools for Gilbert & Richards Corp. in Hamden, Conn. from 1957 to 1973. From 1973 to 1981, Rick ran his own sales organization, Amewright Industries, as a manufacturer’s rep. Tiring of on the road sales, Rick cut down on his mileage and satisfied his yearning for boats by working for Golden Era Boats in Mystic, Conn. from 1975-1980.

After moving to Maine in 1981 to help look after his aging mom, Rick took a job as a mechanical design engineer for Twin Rivers Engineering in Boothbay from 1985 to 1995. In addition to his traditional employment, Rick is perhaps best known for his design, production and sales of planking clamps (for wooden boat building) as founder and president of Conant Clamps in Southport from 1985 to 2013.

Rick was a devoted husband, a loving father and stepfather, and a faithful friend to many. He was always willing to lend a hand to those in need and engaged enthusiastically with the local community. He held leadership roles with the Boothbay Region Humane Society, as well as the Southport Planning Board and the Southport Historical Society. He was an active member of the Boothbay Harbor Congregational Church where he sang in the choir, directed the finance committee, and served as a long standing deacon. As a devoted Republican, Rick was always willing to engage in heartfelt, politically charged, conversations with his friends and family.

As an avid sailor, accomplished seaman, master boat builder and all around enthusiast of all things nautical, Rick never tired of boats. Over the course of his life, he owned 16 boats, four of which he built himself. In his later years he spent most of his free time in his back yard workshop. Rick was happiest when he was building reproduction furniture, machining parts for his clamp business, restoring antiques or repairing boats. He had the tools and know-how to fix anything and could usually be heard whistling while he worked.

Rick was predeceased by his parents, his brother John A. Conant and his wife, Miriam (Harland) Conant of Atlanta, Ga., and his second wife, Christine Conant.

He is survived by his wife, Karyl (Bannister) Conant and their beloved dog “Louie”; son, Peter and his wife Claire Conant of Darien, Conn.; son, Stephen and his wife Margaret (Caney) Conant of Burlington, Vt.; niece, Margaret (Conant) Reiser and her husband Bob of Atlanta, Ga. and Boothbay; four grandchildren, Ames and Ashley (McMillan) Conant and their son, Wesley, of Milford, Conn., Alden Conant of San Francisco, Calif., Margaret (“Molly”) Conant and her husband Eric Seitz of Burlington, Vt., and Eliza (Conant) and her husband Jeremy Frenette of Louisville, Ken.; and great nephew, Stephen Butler and his wife Kate Bowden; as well as his former wife, Jan (Royce) Conant of East Haddam, Conn.; and cousin, Janet MacDonald of Seguin, Wash. He also leaves Karyl’s daughter, Amie (Bannister) McGraham and her husband Roland of Scottsdale, Ariz., and his many Tryon family stepchildren and step-grandchildren from his second marriage to Christine (Tryon) Conant, who predeceased him.

Rick’s family is grateful for his loyal, lifelong friends and loving caregivers who kept him comfortable at home and at St. Andrews.

Friends and family are invited to attend a memorial service honoring Rick’s life to be held on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. at the Congregational Church in Boothbay Harbor, 125 Townsend Avenue. The Reverend Sarah Foulger will be officiating. A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Rick’s name to: The Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor, P.O. Box 468, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538; or, The Boothbay Region Humane Society/Lincoln County Animal Shelter, 45 Montgomery Road, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538.

Hall’s of Boothbay has care of the arrangements. To extend online condolences, light a candle for Rick, or to share a story or pictures, visit his Book of Memories at www.hallfuneralhomes.com.