Richard Donald Palmer

RANGELEY – Richard Donald “Don” Palmer was “born to eternal life” when he died suddenly on July 20, 2016, in his beloved home on Quimby Pond in Rangeley, Maine.

Mr. Palmer was the son of the late Josephine and Richard Palmer of Meriden, Conn., where he first developed his life-long passion for the outdoors, fishing, and hunting. It was also in Meriden where he met his high school sweetheart, Stephanie.

Don was exceptionally accomplished in his academic and professional life. He graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in finance and was second in his MBA class from the University of Pittsburg. Don and Stephanie married in 1961 and they settled on Cape Cod. Don worked for the Gillette Company in Boston for 27 years as an executive, corporate officer, financial controller and director of strategic planning for North America operations.

Many of Don’s most remarkable achievements came after the age of 48 when he retired and moved to Maine to pursue his dreams and passions. Don was featured in the Wall Street Journal promoting the idea that “retirement” was not the end of work, but an opportunity for a new beginning and new accomplishments. The Palmers pursued their passions by opening an antiques business at Blueberry Hill Farm in Rangeley. Don carved award-winning decorative decoys and received the prestigious Ward Foundation World Championship award. As an avid fly fisherman, he won a Florida Keys fishing contest with a 140-pound tarpon.

Don was deeply committed to the Rangeley community and promoted its history as one of the most important centers of outdoor sporting in the world. He served as a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council for the Maine Fisheries and Wildlife committee, president of the Rangeley Lakes Historical Society, and president of the Rangeley Guides and Sportsmen’s Association. While he led the Rangeley Guides and Sportsman’s Association, it grew to become the largest local sporting organization in the state of Maine. In 2004, Don wrote and published a book called “The Rangeley Lakes Region.”

Don’s passion and love for Rangeley inspired him to create the Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum (OSHM) in Oquossoc, Maine, in 2010. According to Yankee Magazine, the OSHM is the “Best Sporting Museum in New England.” Don was the visionary and driving force for the museum. He led the fund raising, design, construction, board, and promotion of OSHM on television, newspaper, and magazines. The OSHM features a preeminent collection of fishing, boating, hunting, and sporting-camp items from Rangeley’s history. Just as Don’s father instilled in him a love of fishing and hunting as a child, Don created the OSHM to pass the gift of the outdoors to future generations.

But perhaps Don’s greatest legacy will be his profound love of his family and his faith in God.

Don is survived by his wife and soulmate of 55 years, Stephanie, and his cherished cousin, Janice Walsh of Southington, Conn. Don was proud of his three sons and six grandchildren: Bruce, his wife Heather, daughter Avery, and son Chase of Sandwich, Mass.; Mark, his wife Casey, daughter Ruby, and son Jack from Long Beach, N.Y.; and Rick, his wife Fadila, son William, and daughter Elena, from Paris, France.

Don was predeceased by his beloved mother and father, Josephine “Jo” and Richard Palmer of Meriden, Conn., and his son Mark’s wife, Sue Morrison Palmer.

Don was a dedicated member of San Pablo Parish in Marathon, Florida, Our Lady of the Lakes Parish in Oquossoc, Maine, and Our Lady of the Cape in Brewster, Mass.

To celebrate Don’s life, a funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, July 26, at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of the Lakes Church in Oquossoc. The family will host a reception and Celebration of Life at Sagamore Lodge, 212 Quimby Pond Road in Rangeley, Maine, immediately following the church service.

Donations may be made in his memory to the Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum in Oquossoc, Maine. Arrangements are under the care of Adams-McFarlane Funeral & Cremation Services, 108 Court St., Farmington. Condolences may be sent for the family at www.adamsmcfarlane.com.