BATH — Ron Pye, 72,  died Feb. 10, with his loving wife, Holly, and oldest son, Rick, at his side.

He was the younger son of Carl and Flossy Pye, of Bath. He was born Dec. 22, 1941. He grew up on Winship Street in Bath, attended Bath schools and graduated from Morse High School, Class of 1960.

He was working at Bath Iron Works and H & R Block when he met his wife, Holly, on Feb. 19, 1984, for their first date. They were married on her birthday, Sept. 22, 1984. 

Pye was always a hard worker, often working more than one job at a time.

Pye’s first job was as a newspaper boy for the local paper and was very pleased to have been selected as one of eight newsboys to meet with Governor Muskie in celebration of Newspaper Boy Day, Oct. 13, 1955. He started learning his original trade of meat cutter while still at Morse High School, working and managing at various First National and Sampson’s Grocery Stores and Lilly’s Market.

He purchased his first grocery store in 1972, and renamed it Ron’s Superette. His business slogan was “Don’t Pass Ron Pye Bye” and was well known on the local radio station. Pye closed his store in 1979.

He went to work at Bath Iron Works as a tin smith in 1980. He worked at the main shipyard in Bath and then the new tin shop at the East Brunswick Manufacturing Facility.

Over the years he held many second and third jobs, including picking apples and running the screen projector at an area drive-in.

In January 1986, they opened H & R Pye’s Tax & Accounting Service. The first year they had 56 clients, which later grew to over 1,000. Pye was instrumental and the driving force behind the organizing and start-up of the Maine Chapter of the National Association of Tax Professionals. He was a board member of the Maine Chapter of NATP from 1996 to 2003. He was the president of the Maine Chapter for six years, and vice president for two years.

Pye was one of the initial members of the Bath-Brunswick Prostate Cancer Support Group. He and Holly took up the mission to educate their clients about the need for cancer screenings. They helped raise money for the American Cancer Relay for Life and later on for the Maine Coalition to Fight Prostate Cancer.

He enjoyed many things in life. He loved working with his hands and was responsible for all of the original landscaping at their home and office as well as all the decks. He built a number of pieces of furniture for their home and office as well as remodeling the main office along with his son, Rick, during the BIW strike in 2000. 

Pye and his wife enjoyed two cruises with their good friends Jack and Judy Skehan, first to the Caribbean and second, their lifetime dream of a cruise and land tour to Alaska. 

He is survived by his loving wife, Holly Pye; sons, Rick Pye, of Dresden and Tim Pye, of Bath; granddaughter, Caitlin Pye; great-grandson, Carter Pye Lee; sister, and brother-in-law, Cheryl and Bob Bartlett, of South Portland; niece and nephew, Chelsea and Chapin Bartlett, of South Portland; along with numerous other relatives. 

Those that knew him well knew that he loved Morse High School. It had long been a goal of Holly and his to establish a scholarship fund to benefit a student who plans on attending a post-secondary school to study accounting. The H & R Pye’s Tax Service Scholarship is being established and those who would like to make a contribution to this scholarship fund, may do so by sending a donation to H & R Pye’s Tax Service, 46 Varney Mill Road, Bath, ME 04530.

Visiting hours were held Feb. 14, at the David E. Desmond & Son Funeral Home, Bath. A Celebration of Life was held Feb. 15, at the funeral home.

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