Peter J. Kolbe Sr.

Peter J. Kolbe Sr. SABATTUS, Maine Peter J. Kolbe Sr., 59, a resident of Sabattus, formerly of Stoughton, Mass., died early Monday morning after a one day stay at the Hospice House in Auburn, with his family by his side, following a long illness at home. He was born in Brockton, Mass., Sept. 20, 1949, a son of Joseph and Margaret (Prehl) Kolbe. Peter attended Stoughton schools and was a 1968 graduate of Stoughton High School. He then joined the U.S. Navy, where he began his training in Middleton, Tenn., that prepared his service as a metalsmith in the operations maintenance division of the Brunswick Naval Airstation from 1969 to 1974, during the Vietnam War. His hobbies included fly fishing, which he loved, and tying his own flies. He also loved playing his guitar and also taught his sons to play. He was a union member of Local 6 of Bath Iron Works and had been employed as a first class welder at the shipyard, until his illness in 2004. Peter will always be known as a conversationalist who was never lost for words. Survivors include his parents, Joseph Kolbe of Stoughton and Margaret Small of Randolph, Mass.; his wife, the former Pauline Girardin, whom he married May 14, 1974, of Sabattus; four sons, Peter J. Kolbe Jr., Derrick W. Kolbe, Raymond J. Kolbe and Alex A. Kolbe, all of Sabattus; one brother, Joseph W. Kolbe and his wife Heather of Arlington, Mass.; two sisters, Linda M. Irwin and her husband George of Goose Creek, S.C., and Donna M. Manning and her husband Raymond of Adair, Iowa; three grandchildren, Peter J. Kolbe III, Jonathan Kolbe and Alexa A. Kolbe. Also surviving are many nieces and nephews. Funeral services honoring Peter's life will be celebrated Thursday 11 a.m. at the Grace Lutheran Church, Auburn, with the Rev. Marian Marks presiding. Burial with committal prayers to follow at St. Peter's Cemetery. Family and friends are invited to visit Wednesday 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at the Pinette & Lynch Funeral Home, 305 Alfred Plourde Parkway, Lewiston, 207-784-4023 . Memorial donations in Peter's memory may be made to the New England Melanoma Foundation, 66 Commonwealth Ave., Concord, MA 01742, or online at www.melanomafoundationne.org. Online condolences and sharing of memories may be expressed at www.lynchbrothers.com.