The Reverend William A. (Bill) DeWolfe, 87, former resident of Damariscotta, died at Maine Medical Center while watching the World Series on Oct. 29.
Residents of the Granite Hill Estates retirement community in Hallowell, both Bill and his wife Barbara had many friends in this area. He was often guest minister at the Midcoast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship when it was meeting in Edgecomb. They attended the World Aids Day service at MUUF in Damariscotta last December. They were both active members of the Augusta church and the Augusta Senior College.
After graduating from Medford (Mass.) High School, Bill enrolled at Tufts College. Prior to graduation he served in the U.S. Army, then earned an AB in Government in 1950. Bill attended Harvard University from 1950 to 1953, earning an STB degree. He was ordained to the ministry at his student parish in Assinippi, Mass. in 1952. Bill also attended Springfield College from 1962-1963, earning a Masters Degree in Education. The Commencement speaker was Martin Luther King, Jr. who went out of his way to meet Bill and his family after the service.
Rev. DeWolfe served churches in Assinippi, Wakefield, Stoughton and Springfield, Mass.; San Antonio, Tex. and St. Louis, Mo. for 24 years. Following his parish ministries, Bill served as Interdistrict Representative for the Eastern Great Lakes Area of the Unitarian Universalist Association from 1973 until 1985, and until his retirement in 1992 in Central Massachusetts and Connecticut Valley.
Bill was a supporter of many Universalist and later Unitarian Universalist programs. He worked as a crew member, staff member and institute leader at Ferry Beach Park Association in Saco. Among his many activities were memberships in the Fraters of the Wayside Inn and the Cedar Hill Study Group, and the Unitarian Universalist Retired Ministers and Partners Association where he served a term as president. After retirement he was a member of the Executive Board of the Northern New England Unitarian Universalist District.
He was a member of Rotary in the cities where he served. In Texas, Mr. DeWolfe was active in the civil rights movement, was instrumental in the founding of the Texas ACLU and served on its national Board of Directors. He was also actively involved with Planned Parenthood in several of the states where he resided. Since moving to Augusta he served as President of the Residents’ Association of Granite Hill Estates.
The DeWolfes celebrated of 65 years of marriage this year. He met Barbara Louise Mosher of Bangor at Ferry Beach and they were classmates at Tufts.
Bill was predeceased by his son, the Reverend Mark Mosher DeWolfe, in 1988.
He is also survived by sons, Richard Scott DeWolfe and partner Hillary P. Colt of East Calais, Vt. and Baltimore, Md., and Paul Howard DeWolfe and Ellen (Sherwood) DeWolfe of Missoula, Mont.; grandchildren, Abby DeWolfe, Reid DeWolfe, Jack DeWolfe, and Emily Alice DeWolfe; and great-grandchildren, Sebastian Patch, and Madeline Patch.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Fri., Nov. 21 at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church, 69 Winthrop St., Augusta.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Ferry Beach Park Association, 5 Morris Ave., Saco, ME 04072; or Unitarian Universalist Retired Ministers and Partners, 104 Amity Dr., Chesterbrook, PA 19087.