Carroll L. Dinsmore, Jr., 79, of Newcastle, passed away peacefully at his home on April 14, surrounded by family members. He would have been 80 on April 20.
Carroll was born in Nobleboro on April 20, 1927, to Carroll L. Dinsmore, Sr. and Mildred Page Dinsmore. The family moved from Nobleboro to Newcastle in 1956. Carroll attended area schools and graduated from Lincoln Academy in 1948.
He was drafted into the U.S. Army near the end of WWII in 1946 and served overseas in Belgium.
After returning and faithfully serving his country, he married Carolyn E. Boyd of Newcastle and was married for 16 years before separating in 1974.
He was employed as a photographer by Ivan Flye in 1948 and worked at the Pictorial Studio on Academy Hill for over 50 years. He specialized in black and white photography and particularly enjoyed studying the large collection of historical negatives that the late Ivan Flye had acquired from the Lindsay and Healey Photography Shops in Damariscotta.
Carroll was honored in 2003 when Charles Flye, son of the late Ivan Flye, donated the majority of the negatives from the Pictorial Studio to the Newcastle Historical Society with the stipulation that they be known as the “Carroll Dinsmore, Jr. Historical Photo Collection”, in recognition of his faithful service in the field of photography.
In 2003, a retirement party was held at the Taniscot Engine Fire House where some 60 family members and friends attended.
In past years, he was a member of the American Legion in Damariscotta, Bunker Hill Grange in Jefferson, and the Maine Archaeological Society. Carroll was very active in the Newcastle Historical Society, serving at various times as vice president, program chairperson and, from its inception, chairperson of the historic negative collection, among a myriad of other tasks.
Carroll felt strongly that local history should be preserved for the benefit of future generations. He provided invaluable assistance to his son, Timothy Dinsmore, on several historic archaeological digs in Newcastle, notably the Hale site, Bryant-Barker Tavern site and Walter Phillips Homestead site. He had a deep interest in Native American culture and in particular, the Oyster Shell Heaps at Damariscotta-Newcastle. In earlier years, he walked many shorelines in the mid-coast region searching for arrowheads.
In 1965, he published an article in Frontiers, a magazine of natural history on the alewives at Damariscotta Mills. He also wrote an article for National Geographic in the 1960’s on the alewives and although the article was never published, it provides a valuable historical account on the annual alewife run of which he was a long-time observer. Photographic records of his alewives research are now in the possession of both the Damariscotta River Association and the Newcastle Historical Society. He also produced a small booklet in the 1960’s highlighting areas of historical interest within Lincoln County.
Carroll enjoyed walks; visiting his brothers and sisters-in-laws on Sundays; playing Yahtzee, Scrabble, and croquet; watching the Red Sox and Patriots, and the Weather Channel; and talking about world news events.
He was an avid stamp collector his entire life, and enjoyed painting with watercolors over historical photographs, many of which he sold to local as well as summer residents. He also enjoyed tending his flower gardens, where he always had a bountiful crop of Zinnias and large sunflowers that were highly visible as one drove up Academy Hill.
He will be remembered most as a man who enjoyed life and never thought ill of anyone. He always wore a smile and was considered by many to be a gentleman and a respectable member of the community in which he lived.
He is survived and sadly missed by daughters, Holly A. Dinsmore, and Jean M. Dinsmore Brewer and husband Richard Brewer; sons, Timothy S. Dinsmore and wife Wendy Longe Dinsmore, and Patrick A. Dinsmore and wife Karen White Dinsmore; brothers, Thomas Dinsmore and wife Dorothy Cole Dinsmore, Richard Dinsmore and wife Anne E. Cuzner Dinsmore, and David Dinsmore; grandchildren, Daniel Dinsmore, Julie Dinsmore, Acadia Dinsmore, Bethany Brewer Podrasky, Brandon Brewer, and Brittany Brewer; great-granddaughter, Taylor Podrasky; and nieces, Louise Dinsmore, and Ellen Dinsmore.
He is predeceased by his father, Carroll L. Dinsmore, Sr.; and mother, Mildred Page Dinsmore.
Friends are invited to be with the family 6-8 p.m., Thurs., April 19 at Strong Funeral Home, 612 Main St., Damariscotta.
Funeral service celebrating Carroll’s life 10 a.m., Fri., April 20 at the Second Congregational Church, Newcastle. Friends and family are welcome.
He will be laid to rest at the Pine Knoll Cemetery in Newcastle.
Gathering of friends and family will follow the service at the Second Congregational Church, Newcastle.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Newcastle Historical Society, P.O. Box 482, Newcastle, ME 04553.
Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Strong Funeral Home and Cremation, Damariscotta.
