AUGUSTA — Rick Stone, 53, a distinguished Maine Game Warden who was named Game Warden of the Year in 2001 and patrolled the Lewiston area, died Tuesday, according to a release from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The department issued the following statement:

Rick began his career as a game warden in February of 1986 and patrolled the Lewiston area out of District A. He was the longest-serving member of the Warden Service Dive Team and had a true passion for the outdoors. His attention to detail, his commitment to evidence control, and his work in law development will always be remembered. In addition, his work on the 132-year history of the Warden Service and its chronological order will be among his many legacies. Among his many professional awards was Game Warden of the Year for 2001.

The Warden Service was second only to the love Rick had for his family – wife Cindy, and his six children – Isaac, Rebekah, Samuel, Nicholas, Kyle and Chris.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

“Rick Stone was an exceptionally dedicated Maine game warden who served our state and its resources with dignity and pride. He was a compassionate gentleman who loved his family and his life. My prayers go out to his family, friends, the Warden Service and the department,” said Chandler Woodcock, commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Col. Joel Wilkinson, Maine’s chief game warden, said, “Rick will be deeply missed but his work, character and impact on the communities he served and those he saved and returned home will live on through all of us. The qualities that made him a good husband, a good father and a good person made him a great game warden.”