Raymond Kirker Goodhue

1951 - 2019

PORTLAND - Raymond Kirker Goodhue, Kirk as he was known, died unexpectedly on Aug. 14, 2019, after not recovering from a heart attack. He is survived by his wife, Melinda Titus, his daughter, Sara Goodhue-Calluy, his brothers, Larry and Jeff, three stepdaughters, four stepgrandchildren, and countless friends up and down the coast of New England. He was predeceased by his parents, Raymond and Janet, and brother John.

Kirk and Melinda met at Una in 2004 and married at Portland City Hall on Feb. 12, 2009. Their joint fondness for Portland's bars and restaurants, conversation, and observations on life made them a consummate pair. They lived a peaceful, parallel life between their shared residences on Peaks and Portland.

Kirk could often be found on the port side middle deck of the Machigonne II as many as six or eight times per day, travelling between the island and mainland offices of his Port Island Realty business. He was deeply dedicated to his clients, and he lived his saying, that "there's always another ferry" by never failing to fulfill any request. Kirk spoke quietly but fondly of his more than thirty years of living and working on the island, having never missed a boat.

Kirk was born on Nov. 18, 1951, in Oil City, Pa., and lived his youngest years in Akron, Ohio, and Wilton, Conn. In his adolescence, Kirk moved to Maine, after his father's retirement moved the family to Boothbay Harbor. It was there Kirk fell in love with the New England coast, and developed his passion for sailing. He was a sailing instructor at the Southport Yacht Club, and continued to visit Cozy Harbor for the rest of his life to recall his formative days on the ocean. We know his sailing years imbued him with a true north, and innate moral compass that guided us all through difficult life choices. Kirk recalled his days of sailing as some of the best of his life.

In Boothbay, his mother started a successful real estate business that Kirk assisted with, before moving to Portland as a young man after receiving his B.A. at Syracuse University. After a year in the banking industry, Kirk began working with Port Island Realty, and bought the business in 1998. Over the next three decades he would develop a deep knowledge of island properties and island life that he shared with his clients. He was a true island icon, and for many islanders, Kirk was the first person they'd meet when arriving on island, and the last person they'd say good bye to before leaving.

Kirk enjoyed all outdoor pursuits, and was for years a regular morning runner around Peaks Island. When a lung disease began to interfere with his morning runs, he considered the purchase of a jogging stroller so that he could bring along his portable oxygen tank, so much did the morning sea air mean to Kirk. He picked up cycling and eventually became content to stand quietly on his island porch, overlooking the ferry landing. He would laugh in amusement that his plantings of Russian Sage surrounding a bench on the sidewalk would be mistaken for lavender: passersby would strip off a stalk of flowers, smell it, only to be disappointed in the lack of aroma and execute the same action again.

Kirk was dedicated to civic service and was a volunteer for a number of organizations in Portland and on Peaks Island. Kirk served as a Civil Commissioner for the City of Portland and spoke admiringly of those who provided public service. In particular, he held in high regard the firefighters, medical technicians, and police officers who dedicated themselves to working for the city. We know he would have liked to thank the firefighters, EMTs, and police officers who responded to him after his collapse.

In keeping with Kirk's wishes, there will be no memorial service, and his body is being donated to scientific study. His family is comforted to be surrounded by the ocean that continues to roll on and remind us of our dear Kirk.

Per his wife's request, donations in his memory can be sent to the

Peaks Island Children's Workshop

PO Box 80

Peaks Island, ME 04108