OBITUARIES for Thursday, April 16, 2026

FRANCIS J. GRIFFIN SR., MD

WATERVILLE – Francis Joseph Griffin, Sr. MD, 78, passed away on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. He was born September 6, 1947, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Edward and Eveyln Griffin.

He is survived by his wife, Peggy, of 47 years; and three children, Frankie, Evelyn, and Patrick. Frankie and his wife Jennifer have two boys, Thomas (11) and Teak (9). Evelyn has a daughter, Freyja (9). Patrick and his wife Kaci have two girls, Finlee (5) and Olive (2). He is also survived by his siblings Tom, Christine, and Eddie. He also leaves behind dozens of nieces and nephews.

The family will have a celebration of life this summer.

Honor Francis Griffin’s legacy by preserving the Mary Nash Beaupre Greenhouse, a cherished space for youth and families in our community. Your donation, in Francis’s memory, will help fund the vital upkeep and programming for generations to come.

Donations may be sent to https://operations.daxko.com/online/2109/OnlineGiving/Donation.mvc?campaign_id=18445 or mail to Alfond Youth & Community Center, 126 North St., Waterville, ME 04901.

EDWARD F. PARLIN

JEFFERSON – Edward Furbush Parlin, 92, passed away peacefully Friday, April 3, 2026, at his home, in Jefferson. Edward was born on January 21, 1934, in Jefferson, the son of John Sr. and Laura (Sprague) Parlin.

He attended Erskine Academy , in South China. He married Norma on October 17, 1959, and had three children.

He worked in the woods for Bud Cooley, at BIW and retired from Maine DOT with over 30 years as a highway foreman. Over the years he enjoyed pulling his cattle at all the Maine fairs, listening to country music, camping and spending time with family and friends. He enjoyed watching his grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s sporting events.

Edward was predeceased by his parents; his wife Norma of 59 years; his brothers Wilbur, Erwin, Lawrence, Preston, Maurice, Raymond, John Jr., Willard and Wendell; his sisters Glennis, Phyllis, Leola and Mildred.

Edward is survived by his sons, Edward A. Parlin and wife Rose, of South Jefferson, Richard A. Parlin Sr., of Jefferson; daughter, Shelly (Parlin) Brann, of Windsor; sister Hester (Parlin) Merrifield and husband Lyman (Boomie), of Jefferson; five grandchildren; Richard A. Parlin Jr., of Jefferson, Ryan Parlin and wife Nicole, of Alna, Erica (Parlin) Ontiveros and husband Rafael, of Windsor, Nicole Brann, of Rumford, Mark Brann Jr.; great-grandchildren, Sophia, Luke, Wyatt, Christopher, Jasmine and Tanner; several nieces and nephews.

A graveside service will be held on Monday, May 4, at 11 a.m., at the Shepard Cemetery, North Mountain Road, Jefferson.

Arrangements and guidance are in the care of Staples Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 53 Brunswick Avenue, Gardiner, Maine.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the Staples Funeral Home website, www.staplesfuneralhome.com

JOHN N. TAUL

AUGUSTA – John Newton Taul, 57, from Augusta, died unexpectedly on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. He was born in LaGrange, Indiana, on October 2, 1968.

He graduated from Hall-Dale High School in 1987.

John loved having cookouts with his family. He loved evening gatherings around the fire pit telling stories. He enjoyed hiking, going for boat rides on the lake, fishing and camping.

He was predeceased by his mother Yvonne Trepanier, Father Charles Taul, maternal grandparents John and Della Vigue, legal adoptive parents Frank and Frances Wilson, half- sisters Lummie and Carolyn.

He is survived by his sister Sheila Ballantyne, brother-in-law and good friend David Ballantyne; half-brother Bert Ashby; half-sisters Judy, Luella, and Eloise; his nephews Andrew Ballantyne, Benjamin Ballantyne and Jonathan Ballantyne, Ian Ashby, Abram Ashby, Justin Ashby and Nick Ashby.

Arrangements are under the care of Plummer Funeral Home in Augusta. There will be a celebration of life cookout in his honor on July 18 at “The Lake”. For further information you may contact Sheila at 207-512-6083.

EARLE A. THOMPSON

MADISON – Earle Arthur Thompson, 90, passed away unexpectedly from complications from a fall on Sunday, March 8, 2026. He was born on January 1, 1936, in Moscow, the son of Freemond Benjamin Thompson and Louise Josephine Pierce Thompson.

Earle grew up and attended schools in Moscow before moving to Madison in 1955 with his family. He graduated from Bingham High School class of 1955.

Earle was married and is survived by his wife Barbara Nellie Taylor Thompson, with whom he shared his life. Barbara resides at Maplecrest Rehabilitation and Living Center, in Madison.

Earle spent his entire life farming and trucking in Madison, dedicating himself to hard work and providing for those around him. He was known for his strong work ethic, commitment to his land and his livelihood.

Besides his parents, Earle was predeceased by two brothers, Cecil Ernest Thompson and Garry Freemond Thompson, and one sister, Martha Ann Thompson Walter.

He is additionally survived by his sister, Janice Opal Thompson Spencer, of Skowhegan, and his brother, Dennis Harold Thompson, of Pleasant Ridge; several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A graveside service will be held in the spring at Athearn Cemetery, in Anson.

JUDY C. HEATH

ALBION – Judy Crocker Heath, 84, of Albion, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Born November 30, 1941.

She lived most of her life in Whitefield, which she always spoke of as home, regardless of where she was presently living. She lived eight years at the Flatiron, in Augusta, where she had many wonderful friends she cooked for and became family to her.

Judy loved to cook more than about anything with gardening a close second. She could never cook for just one person and if you came to her home she was going to feed you.

She is survived by brother, Robert Gilman Jr., daughter, Sheena Albright, son Tracy Duplissa and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even some great-great grandchildren.

There was a Celebration of Life on Sunday, April 12, 2026, at the Whitefield Union Hall.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Whitefield Union Hall restoration committee.

MARY G. DOMAREKI

SKOWHEGAN – Mary Glennon Domareki, 84, passed away peacefully on Easter night, April 5, 2026. Mary was born Mary Kielty Glennon, in Manhattan, New York, on October 2, 1941, the eldest of six children of Mary Kielty Glennon and Matthew Joseph Glennon.

She spent her early childhood living on a farm in rural Tewksbury Township, Hunterdon County, NJ, where she attended a country preschool and a one-room schoolhouse. The family later moved to Westfield, New Jersey, while continuing to spend summers at the farm. Mary loved her country childhood, enjoyed driving the tractor on the farm, and preferred rolling hills and farm scenery throughout her life.

Mary had a close, loving relationship with both her parents. She treasured her mother’s ready wit and her father’s deep integrity. Naturally patient and nurturing, she adored being the oldest of six and helped care for her younger brothers and sisters.

She attended Holy Trinity High School, in Westfield, in the same class as her future husband. There, she displayed quiet leadership and was selected by the faculty to attend Girls State. Throughout her schooling, she earned the appreciation, affection, and respect of her peers in a way that would continue throughout her life.

Mary graduated from Trinity College, in Washington, D.C., where she majored in History. She was an expert at knowing what – and when – to study, so that she could easily pass her tests after cramming at the last minute, having taken time to play bridge in the smoker with her friends.

After college, Mary worked as a receptionist at National Dairy Products, in New York City, and taught first grade for three years, two at Saint Teresa’s Catholic School in Summit, New Jersey, and one at Marin County Country Day School near San Francisco. She was proud to have taught many children to read and enjoyed all her students, especially the naughty ones.

In 1967, Mary married Gregory J. Domareki, an attorney from Mountainside, New Jersey, and a graduate of Seton Hall University and Law School. They spent their first year of marriage in Surrey, England, where Greg studied international law at the London School of Economics and Mary taught in the village school, immersing herself in English literature and history.

They returned to the United States to start a family and would raise their seven children in rural Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and later in Castine and Skowhegan. Mary raised her children with unconditional love and considered this her life’s most important work. Each time she was expecting a child, she said she could not wait to see what this child would be like.

After her children were grown, Mary went back to work at the Lawrence Public Library, in Fairfield, where she found satisfaction and joy working with her well-loved co-workers and patrons alike.

A history major and a voracious lifelong reader, Mary was a fiercely independent thinker with quiet confidence regarding what she believed. To her, history was never merely facts or dates – it was alive because it was about people. She had an instinctive understanding of human nature and a deep appreciation for the richness of people’s lives, whether they lived centuries ago or were someone she had just met at the grocery store.

She was endlessly interested in people, and she carried their stories with her. She would tell them alongside stories of her own life and from history, moving easily between them, because to her they were all part of the same human story. She shared these stories daily with her children – at the dinner table, in the car, while cooking or folding laundry – so that stories became part of the rhythm of their lives.

That same understanding shaped the way Mary moved through the world. She had a rare ability to see people clearly and make them feel seen. She was deeply fair, honest, and without judgment, valuing authenticity and allowing people to be fully themselves. She loved people as they were, and they felt it. She had a strong sense of humor, which she said is really a sense of perspective, and was always ready to laugh at herself and at the ironies of life.

As the grandchild of Irish immigrants, Mary’s Irish identity was very important to her and she passed on a strong sense of Irish heritage to her children by telling family stories, sharing Irish songs, and watching The Quiet Man with them every St. Patrick’s Day.

Mary deeply loved her husband, Greg. She treasured his intelligent, original, and creative mind, the ways he could always surprise her and make her laugh, and the ways they were so different while both being exceptionally sensitive and intuitive. They shared a love of beauty and an artist’s soul. It was a 60+/- year love affair, and he is devastated to lose his girl but grateful for the children she gave him.

Mary was predeceased by her parents, Mary and Matthew Glennon; her sister Anne; and her oldest son John Gregory Domareki.

She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Greg; six children and their spouses, and her 16 grandchildren, Mary and Jonathan (Nicholas, Sophie), Sarah (Michael, Rose), Catherine and Ashish (Clementine, Anya), Gregory Jr. and Sarah (Dom, Eve, Liv, Jack), Luke and Maria (Nicole, Andrei, Nini, Leonora), and Bridget and Gabriel (Mira, Zeke).; her siblings and their spouses, Kate and Ernie Abbott, Matthew and Lydia Glennon, Christine and Hugh McBride, and Tony and Carol Glennon; and many nieces and nephews.

Services for Mary were held on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at the Somerset Valley Remembrance Center, 19 Washburn Lane, in Skowhegan. An Irish wake and reception followed.

You may also find the live stream and recording of the services on Mary’s memorial page at https://svremembrancecenter.com/obituaries/mary-domareki where condolences, photos, and special memories may also be shared.

In lieu of flowers, people who wish to may make a donation to the John Domareki Award, at Skowhegan Area High School.

Others Departed

ARTHUR LERMAN

WHITEFIELD – Arthur Lerman, 76, passed away peacefully on November 13, 2025.

A celebration of life will be held at the Kings Mills Union Hall at 901 Town­house Rd., Whitefield, on Saturday, April 18, 2026, beginning at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Doctors Without Borders or Heifer International.