Nelson Boies "Charlie James" Doak

FARMINGTON -- Nelson Boies Doak, also known by his radio name "Charlie James," 60, of Farmington, died peacefully, with his wife Hazel by his side, at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, on Sunday, March 1, 2009, after a brief illness.

He was born Sept. 24, 1948, in Boiestown, New Brunswick, to Nelson Edgar and Prudence Eliza (Boies) Doak. He immigrated to the United States with his parents in December 1952. He attended Farmington schools, graduating from Farmington High School in 1966. He received a bachelor's degree in history from Bates College in Lewiston in 1970 and a master's degree in educational administration from Antioch Graduate School, Keene, N.H., in 1976.

Whilst in college, Nelson served as a lay minister for the Farmington Methodist Church, giving services in the Franklin county-area Methodist churches. While in college, he also worked as radio announcer for the Bates College radio station, at WKTJ in Farmington and in Augusta.

From 1970 to 1977, Nelson taught social science at Windham High School in Willimantic, Conn., and served as the advisor to the school's radio club. It was during this time that he met his wife of 34 years, Hazel, who was an exchange student at the time at Eastern Connecticut State College.

After returning to Farmington in 1977, Nelson went back to broadcasting, working briefly in Lewiston and Rumford, before finding his home at WKTJ. Beginning as the evening announcer, he held the positions of music director, program director, sales and news director. From 2000 to 2005, he was a co-owner of WKTJ, a dream fulfilled.

From 1977 to 1986, Nelson was also co-owner of Sound Innovations, a mobile disco. Sound Innovations provided the music entertainment for weddings, anniversaries, school dances, class reunions, New Year's Eve parties, the Sugarloafer Ski Dorm and the Inn Town bar in Livermore Falls, playing a cross section of music from the 1940s to pop to country. They provided the music for the first ever dry-high graduation party in the state of Maine at Oxford Hills High School.

In the early 1990s, Nelson was a volunteer at Norlands Living History Center in Livermore, helping in the development of the annual summer history conference.

Nelson loved music, history, baseball, reading, a good energetic conversation and traveling. Favorite places to travel to were England, New Brunswick, and Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

He is survived by his loving wife, Hazel Doak, of Farmington; aunt, Annie B. Norton of Farmington; aunts Doris Doak and Beatrice Boise of Fredericton, New Brunswick; and many cousins in Canada. He was predeceased by his parents.

Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, March 6, at Adams-McFarlane Funeral & Cremation Services, 108 Court St., Farmington.

A funeral service will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, those wishing may make donations in Nelson's memory to the American Heart Association, 1 Union Street No. 301, Robbinsville, NJ 08691-4183, or to The LifeFlight Foundation, P.O. Box 1007, Union, ME 04862.