Lester E. Palmer

Lester E. Palmer, 87
     CUMBERLAND -- Lester E. Palmer, 87, of Blanchard Road in Cumberland died on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2007, at the Mercy Hospital in Portland.
     He was born in South Portland on Jan. 9, 1920, the son of Walter and Kathleen Brewer Palmer and was educated in South Portland schools.
     During World War II, he was employed at the Shipyard in South Portland. Lester had also worked many years as an auto mechanic and retired from Chaplin Motors, where he had worked for over 30 years. He worked nights and weekends as a marine mechanic in the Greater Portland area.
     He enjoyed the ocean and built his first boat. He loved traveling, boating and camping with his wife, Frances. He loved spending time with his family and friends. Lester was a member of the Congregational Church in Cumberland and a member of the Harmony Masonic Lodge in Gorham. He was a true, compassionate man who would help anyone in need of assistance. He touched many lives in his 87 years and will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
     He is survived by his loving wife Frances, who have been together for 27 years; his brother, Alfred Palmer of Hernando, Fla.; daughters, Sandra Rockwell of Westbrook, Judy Towne of Berwick and Kathleen Doughty of Freeport; four step-children, Pamela Gillig of Hingham, Mass., Beth Shevenell of Scarborough, Stephanie Tully of Dunstable, Mass., and Stanley Howard Jr. of Lexington, Ky.; 13 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. His first wife, Esther died in 1980.
     A celebration of life service will be held at the Cumberland Congregational Church in the spring. Further notice will be posted. Arrangements are under the guidance of Independent Death Care, 471 Deering Avenue, Portland.
     Lester E. Palmer