Richard B. Gallion, 77, of Jefferson, died suddenly on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Rick was born in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 11, 1947, the son of the late Virgil A. and Doris E. (Johnson) Gallion. He grew up in southeast Kansas and earned a B.A. in French literature from Pittsburg State University.
Rick served as a Green Beret in the U.S. Army but had conflicted feelings about the U.S. military. Rick married Saundra Mackey while he was in the service, and they divorced some years later after many adventures together. Saundra preceded in him death.
On Oct. 5, 1996, Rick married the love of his life, Linda S. Marrs Farrell, at the Topeka Kansas Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Together they shared 28 wonderful years of marriage.
Rick worked for the U.S. Marshals Service, District of Kansas, for 16 years, during which time he spent 10 years studying ballet and jazz dance and performing in community theater. He left the U.S. Marshals Service to pursue a career in custom woodworking and moved to Maine with his wife Linda in 2002. Together, they owned a bed-and-breakfast in a 165-year-old farmhouse in Jefferson. Rick founded the Clary Lake Woodworking School in 2014 and shared his technical skills and passion for woodworking with a multitude of students.
Rick was a lover of classical music, especially Beethoven and Mozart. He enjoyed sailing, parachuting, and maintaining the property around Clary Lake Bed and Breakfast, which he owned with Linda. He was an avid bicyclist and undertook several long-distance bike tours in the U.S. and throughout France and Scotland. He loved a good cup of tea and cherished the time he spent with his granddaughter, Madeline Elizabeth.
Rick was predeceased by his sisters, Iris Pfautz and Victoria Gallion Germonde; as well as his brother, Don Gallion. He is survived by his wife, Linda Gallion; his brother, John Gallion; his stepdaughters, Amy (spouse Shea) Farrell and Beth (spouse Jay) Holley; and his granddaughter, Madeline Elizabeth.
Visiting hours celebrating Rick’s life will be held on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, from 2-4 p.m. with a service to follow at 4 p.m. at Staples Funeral Home, 53 Brunswick Ave., Gardiner, ME 04345. Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the Staples Funeral Home website staplesfuneralhome.com.
Those who wish may make contributions in Rick’s memory to The Carpenter’s Boat Shop, 440 Old County Road, Pemaquid, ME 04558 or the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4775 SW 21st St., Topeka, KS 66604.
