DAMARISCOTTA – Alan Arthur Lear, 66, of Damariscotta, passed away Sept. 26, at home in the arms of his beloved wife and son. He was born Aug. 16, 1949, in Bangor, the son of Arthur M. and Jane (Avery) Lear.

Lear grew up in Holden and graduated in 1967 from Brewer High School. He served in the Navy from 1968-72, spending six months aboard the U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Lear married Cynthia M. Parsons, whom he met in high school, in Orrington on March 15, 1969. They spent 46 happy years together. She was his main source of love, and he was her rock. Their only child, Alex Alan Lear, was born in 1978, and the three became a tight family unit, brought only closer by Lear’s courageous two-year battle with cancer.

Known for being fair and doing the right thing, Lear was a hands-on, no-nonsense man who served as a Marine Patrol Officer for 22 years. During that time, he performed CPR on a 6-year-old girl who had been caught underwater in Camden Harbor for several minutes after a boat she was riding in had capsized. For his role in saving her life and others in the boat, Lear was named Officer of the Year in 1997 by the North East Conservation Law Enforcement Chiefs, and was recognized across the state of Maine for his efforts.

A commercial diver, aviator, artist,  sailor, singer, social worker, husband, father, friend — Lear humbly applied his many attributes to enhancing numerous lives. His dry sense of humor made him a hit among family and friends alike.

Lear was predeceased by his parents, but leaves behind his wife, Cynthia; his son, Alex and daughter-in-law, Lauren, of North Yarmouth; a sister and brother-in-law, Sandra and Paul Cust of Fort Myers, Florida; a brother and sister-in-law, David and Melissa Lear of Holden; a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Norman and Angela Dirksen of Augusta; a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Michael and Mary Ellen Voisine of Brewer; a  special cousin, Harland Young Jr.; his close friend, Kurt Soneson and many nieces and nephews. 

A celebration of life was held Oct. 1 at the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home in Damariscotta. the funeral home. A reception will follow the service, at the Damariscotta River Grill, 155 Main Street in Damariscotta. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lincoln County Animal Shelter, PO Box 7, Edgecomb, ME 04556.

Lear