M. Robert Barter, 94, of Boothbay Harbor, passed away peacefully on Aug. 4, 2023, at St. Andrews Village in Boothbay Harbor. He was born May 6, 1929, in Lubec to parents Merrill S. and Ora (Small, later Dodge) Barter.
Bob grew up in Boothbay Harbor and attended local schools, graduating from Boothbay Harbor High School. After high school, he went to Husson College in Bangor, and then served in the U.S. Air Force and the Maine Air National Guard.
After discharge from the service, he returned to Boothbay Harbor, where he worked as a Lincoln County deputy and a photographer for the Associated Press before opening Bob’s Photo-TV, which he operated for many years. Bob was a proud Mainer, but more specifically, he was proud of being from the Boothbay Harbor region. He was a charter member of the Boothbay Region Ambulance Service, a member of the Boothbay Harbor Fire Department, a member of the American Legion Post No. 36, town clerk of Boothbay Harbor, a Lincoln County commissioner for many years, and a former head of the National Association of Counties. In 1992 he won the Clerk of the Year Award.
He was very generous, family oriented, and loved when he could show off his hometown to family members and friends that came to visit, hosting many clambakes and get-togethers at his house.
Bob was predeceased by his parents; wife, Virginia L. (Ross) Barter; and stepfather, Erwin Dodge.
He is survived by children, Merrill Barter and wife, Anne, and Jennifer Smith and husband, Hazen; granddaughters, Katrina Smith, Meghan (Smith) Rice and husband, Ryan, Sarah Barter, Sonia Barter, and Kate Barter; and great-grandson, Jacoby Rice.
Memorial donations in Bob’s name can be made to Midcoast Humane, 5 Industrial Parkway, Brunswick, ME 04011.
Halls of Boothbay has care of the arrangements. To extend online condolences, visit Bob’s book of memories at hallfuneralhomes.com.
