Jerome "Jerry" Wendell Black

Standish – Jerome (Jerry) Black, beloved husband, navy veteran, teacher, artist, public servant, citizen historian, and friend to oh so many, passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday, March 15, 2026, fulfilling more than 97 wonderfully active and productive years.

Born October 2, 1928, to Betsy (Webber) and Laurice Black, Jerry enjoyed a happy childhood in Farmington, Maine, fishing and playing pick-up ball with his many friends. He attended a two-room schoolhouse located near a bend in the Sandy River.

At a young age, Jerry delivered newspapers; he deposited nearly all his earnings in the bank. “One of my customers was the grandfather of Governor Janet Mills – he paid with exact change every week.” When Jerry was 13 years old in the 7th grade, he spent all his paper route savings on the object of his childhood fascination: a 1918 chemical fire truck. “I saw it for sale and just had to have it.” The truck originally carried chemical fire retardants and would be used to carry water later in Franklin County to help teenagers fight Maine’s devastating fires of 1947.

As a freshman at Farmington High School, Jerry helped clean and renovate the school’s dingy basement to make way for an industrial arts program that would become the course work of his high school career.

Following a stint in the Navy during the Korean War, Jerry enrolled in Gorham State Teachers College, majoring in Industrial Arts. One day, a student cafeteria worker named Mildred berated him for leaving a messy table in the dining hall. She caught his eye (and ear). They married Jerry’s junior year! Mildred Black would become a dedicated and popular teacher at Windham High School. Jerry would go on to successfully teach industrial arts at Falmouth High School for 25 years.

Both took their teaching duties extremely seriously. They worked behind the scenes to help disadvantaged students obtain decent clothing and encouraged them to extend their education beyond high school. In the early 1960s, Jerry and Mildred decided to explore ways to enhance their teaching performance by embarking on a seven-month sabbatical, absorbing the culture, history, and geography of 29 countries around the world in Europe and Asia.

Always a volunteer in public affairs, Jerry spent over 14 years on the Windham Budget Committee and was instrumental in helping the town transition from a Board of Selectmen to a Town Council-Manager form of government. Jerry also served for over 60 years as an active member of Kiwanis, including service as Lieutenant Governor of the Northeast District. Jerry had volunteered in many areas of the Windham community. At the time he had been very active in the restoration of the Little Meetinghouse in Windham and was vice president of the Little Meetinghouse Corporation. The headline in a 2005 article about Jerry and the LMH had been “I had a hammer and I knew how to use it.” He had been active in the meetings and ongoings of the LMH until just prior to his passing.

From Ed Pierce and the Windham Eagle: “A proud veteran, Jerry enlisted in the Navy while in high school and received his diploma from Farmington High School while serving as a throttle man on the destroyer, USS Johnston, in 1949. He served two enlistment periods during post-World War II activities and during the Korean War. He returned to Maine to earn his degree to teach Industrial Arts, get married to Mildred, and begin his active community service activities.

Jerry joined the American Legion in the 1950’s and later the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10643 in Windham. He served on the committee building the Windham Veterans Center in the 1990s.

He had many proud moments, however he stated his proudest moment came in 2018 when he was honored to be selected by Honor Flight Maine to receive an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., to see the World War II Memorial and other memorials along with a group of Maine veterans. He noted that his opportunity to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was extremely moving and humbling.

Jerry and Mildred made many friends through their decades of camping and membership in the Good Sam’s Club. They rarely missed an event and were very active members, with their friendships meaning the most to them.

Jerry’s artwork was a love and a passion. He was always drawing, painting, and learning to enhance his skills. His house was a museum of his works. He is noted for his originals of animals and birds, lighthouses, churches, houses people made requests for him to draw, note cards, and his annual calendars that he distributed wide and far. He even got one out this past January and was still teaching painting at the age of 95.

Many a time Jerry would use his connections and conversations with friends, neighbors, relatives, and colleagues to share his stories. He had so many stories, that involved so many people. He could go on and on, and he did. It was only after throat cancer later in his life, that affected his ability to project his voice, did he begin to shorten his stories. These will be sorely missed.

Mildred passed away in 2017. They were married for 62 years and lived in Windham for 36. In addition to his wife, Jerry was predeceased by his parents, his sister, Jean (Black) Young, and niece, Donna (Roy) Perry. Ten nephews and nieces and their families live to remember and celebrate Jerry’s life: Jeffrey Young, Michael Young, Lorraine (Bailey) Barrows, Steven Bailey, Kenneth Bailey, Peter Roy, Jacqueline (Roy) Tays, Virginia (Roy) Chamberlain, Judy Roy, and Frederick Roy. Family friends Carolyn and John Murphy, brothers Derek and Ben Emmons and their families, along with his many neighbors and friends, Veteran Association colleagues and Kiwanians, will especially remember Jerry.

A celebration of life will be held at the Little Meetinghouse in Windham, ME on June 7, 2026, beginning at 2 p.m. Interment will follow directly after the service in the Arlington Cemetery across the street from the Little Meetinghouse.

In lieu of flowers, Jerry requests contributions be made to the Windham Veterans Association, Windham, Maine