Friends, business associates and neighbors are remembering Roy Farmer. Farmer who lived nearly his entire life in Wiscasset died peacefully at his Middle Street home Tuesday, March 26.  He was 91; he would have celebrated his 92^nd birthday on April 8.

Farmer was greatly respected for his talent and dedication as a business professional and public official. He was known for his kindness and generosity to his family and the community he called home.

People have been dropping off flowers and sending condolences to Farmer’s business the Carl M.P. Larrabee Agency at 152 Main St., Wiscasset. Although he retired in 2015, he had been serving as president of the company.

Sheila Sawyer, Farmer’s business partner for 22 years, said the outpouring from the community has been overwhelming and hard to put into words.

“It shows how much people deeply cared and really appreciated the many, many things Roy did not just for Wiscasset but for the Lincoln County community as a whole. To me personally, he was a role model, a friend and a mentor… but I’m sure there are a lot of other people who will say the same thing.”

“A true gentleman in every respect,” said Larry Gordon, a former Wiscasset selectman who lives on Federal Street. “My wife, Norma and I knew Roy since we moved to Wiscasset in 1961.”

“Along with running his real estate and insurance businesses, he served in the state legislature, on the board of selectmen and on many other committees. One thing I remember about him was no matter how busy he was, he always had time to talk, listen to people’s concerns, or just share the news. He meant a lot to Wiscasset and he will be missed,” added Gordon.

Ed Kavanagh also of Federal Street knew Farmer through the Wiscasset Fire Society.

“I think I first met him when he showed Cheri and I the Octagon House which we eventually purchased as our home. He supported many local organizations including the Lincoln County Historical Association which I was a past president of and Wiscasset’s Museum in the Streets project. “He lived a long life but he lived a wonderful life. We’ll really miss him,” added Kavanagh.

Robert “Bobby” Fairfield, another former Wiscasset selectman, said he grew up with Farmer.

“Roy and I go back over 70 years. Both of our families lived on Middle Street where Roy continued to live with his wife Joanne,” he said.

“His father Raymond Farmer owned a little grocery store downtown when we were kids back in the 1940s. Roy was a few years older than me but we were friends. I remember him going into the Army, I think maybe just as World War II was coming to an end.

“He was a really fine man, a very good friend too. I’ll miss him,” added Fairfield.

Wiscasset Selectman Ben Rines Jr. called Farmer a role model for every generation. “Everybody looked up to him.”

Rines said his late mother Virginia (Butler) Rines went all through school with Farmer. “They graduated from Wiscasset Academy together – Class of 1944 –and stayed close remaining active in the Wiscasset Alumni Association; I’m certain Roy served as its president for a long time.

“Just after I graduated from high school in 1971, Roy and Joanne, his wife went with my mother and father Ben Rines Sr. on a trip to Hawaii. They had a really great time there. I don’t know if they visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial but I’m pretty sure their visit had something to do with the American Legion; they were both veterans.”

Bea King called Farmer the best boss in the world! She worked alongside Farmer for 10 years when he served as Lincoln County Register of Probate.

“I was deputy register of probate. There was never a better person to work for than Roy. I honestly can say, I really looked forward to going to work every day knowing I’d be working with him.”

King lived for many years in Wiscasset before moving to Boothbay.

“I knew Roy long before I went to work at the courthouse because I grew up in Wiscasset. I’m four years older than Roy, that makes me 95. I went to Lincoln Academy and Roy went to school in Wiscasset. Everybody loved Roy.  He was such a gentleman in every sense of the word. I’ll miss him.

“He and Conrad Peters, who passed away a number of years ago, were the of best friends,” continued King. “They grew up together in Wiscasset. For many years Conrad along with Jean Sutter and Billie Barnes worked for Roy in his real estate business. Jean who’s also in her 90s went to school with Roy.

“The hardest thing about living so long is seeing your friends pass away. It’s very sad but Roy lived a long life, he was blessed with a wonderful wife and family and had many, many friends,” said King.

On a personal note, I met Mr. Farmer in the late 1970s. I interviewed him for the Wiscasset Newspaper when he was serving as a trustee of the Wiscasset School Department. Roy as chairman had a large role in getting funding to reconstruct the athletic fields at Wiscasset High School. Thanks to him we have one of the premiere athletic tracks in the state of Maine that’s enjoyed by student athletes from around the region. - Phil Di Vece