Richard L. Pillsbury

UNITY -- Richard Laurence Pillsbury died early Wednesday morning, Dec. 5, 2007, despite a heroic struggle to remain with the family that surrounded his hospital bed at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Richard was born to his loving parents, Ethel and Ralph "Barney" Pillsbury, on May 16, 1947, and enjoyed a happy childhood in Benton, growing up with his older brothers James Bowman and Byron Pillsbury and later his little brother Robert.

He grew up to love life and his neighborhood friends and being part of the W.S. Pillsbury farm equipment family. He was especially proud to be one of the very first participants in the P.A.L. system, in which he played football and baseball. And he loved picnics and trips to Unity Pond with his family to the same property where he would later fall in love with his wife, Rosemary (Constable) and where they would later raise their own family.

At Lawrence High School, he acquired the nickname "Rosey" after the gentle giant professional football player Rosey Greer. As number 32, he played defensive end and tackle for the Bulldogs and was selected for the All-Pine Tree Conference. In high school, he began coaching younger boys in baseball. This was the first of many years of coaching: baseball in the Unity Farm Team system, basketball in the B.U.M. League, and football for seventeen wonderful years in the P.A.L. Football League in Fairfield.

Richard demonstrated the singular and enduring love of family which was the essence of his life when, at 16, he drowned attempting to rescue his brother Byron, who was drowning in Unity Pond. Losing Byron was one of the saddest days of Richard's life. Richard was physically resuscitated and never faltered in his efforts to share the memories of Byron with the new family members that joined him as he became a father.

He graduated from Lawrence in the class of 1965. He attended Tilton Academy in New Hampshire before enlisting in the Army and serving in Germany and Vietnam. After his honorable discharge, Richard became a parts salesperson and later lawn and garden equipment manager for W.S. Pillsbury and Son on College Avenue.

He married Rosemary on Oct. 6, 1973. Their home filled with four of their six blessings, children: Rocy Benton, Morgan James, Wyatt Simeon, Cassie Jo. Evenings, weekends and vacations were devoted to family and community activities. Richard loved anything to do with children and helped with Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Daisy Scouts, and happy seasons of sports.

When his father's business closed, Richard helped his wife start and run Sheltering Pines Daycare at their home. Then he returned to working with the farming population that he admired, selling parts at Crane Brothers and later Ingraham Ford in Corinna and Ingraham Equipment in Knox. In 1986, the last of the Pillsbury children, twins Ashley Rose and Zachary Byron, were born and Richard was a peacock among men for weeks thereafter.

His life was filled with simple joys -- work, leisurely boat rides around Unity Pond, campfires, board games, coaching and watching countless sports activities, trips to Santa's Village and all the zoos he could reach on family vacation. He learned to love soccer as his children moved on to play at Mount View. He enjoyed reading, watching television, and visiting with friends and sharing holidays with his larger families. He attended every dance, chorus, band recital and play in which they participated and marveled at their many talents and their love for him, his wife, and for each other. And as the children graduated and moved on, he visited them each regularly and always assured each of them that they were welcome to move home anytime during their lives.

He defined unconditional love. The death of Wyatt in 2001 left an irreparable hole in his heart and a determination to continue to keep his children close. He lost his father Ralph in 2005. One of his greatest joys in recent years was the discovery of his sister, Mary Lou "Lucille" Ryan, of North Carolina and a vacation there in which the four siblings' families were able to get to know each other. Yet another was the Oct. 28, 2007, "surprise" wedding of his eldest son Rocy to Melissa White Pillsbury.

Richard is survived by his mother, Ethel Pillsbury of Benton; his wife, Rosemary and five of their children, Rocy and his wife, Melissa, Morgan, Cassie, Ashley, and Zachary, all of Unity. His siblings include Jim Bowman and his wife, Rita, of Benton, Lucille Ryan and her husband, Robert, of North Carolina, and adoring brother Robert and his wife, Kelly, of Benton. He is also survived by his honorary son, Michael French of Unity; best friend Ray Cairnie of Benton; sisters-in-law Linda Constable and Catherine Constable of Unity; brother-in-law Roland Constable of Skowhegan and his wife, Sandra, and sister-in-law Constance Currid of Florida; mother-in-law Annie B. Constable of Unity; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.

Committal services will be private at the family lot in Unity. A public fellowship of remembrance will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9, at the Benton Grange in Benton. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Richard's memory to P.A.L. Football in Fairfield (contact Ray Cairnie at 453-7516) or to the Mount View Futures Fund for Football (contact 948-6120) for details.

Condolences may be expressed at www.lawrybrothers.com

Arrangements are by Lawry Brothers Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 107 Main St., Fairfield; (800) 660-2111.