1923 – 2003

LEWISTON – Dwight Grover, 79, a lifelong resident of East Stoneham died Monday, May 19, at Central Maine Medical Center, after a sudden illness with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

He was born on Aug. 9, 1923, the son of Perley and Helen McAllister Grover. He graduated from Norway High School in the Class of 1942. He served his country in World War II with the U.S. Marines in the Pacific as a Sergeant from 1944 1946.

He married Mary Wright Read of Belfast, on March 4, 1945. After he returned from the service, he started as a self-employed trucker and then worked a few years for Win Brown. In 1950, he went into business with Carlton Brown (C.N. Brown) with a portable saw mill, working with work horses, in Sweden then in Albany.

In 1951, he bought out Carlton Brown and traded the portable saw mill for a stationary saw mill in North Waterford, one of only three in western Maine at the time, which he called Grover Lumber Co. He started buying woodlots and then began a logging woods crew.

After running the lumber mill for many years, he bought Crooked River Dowel Mill in 1970, with other partners, which he eventually bought out and ran until 1991. He worked with his woods crew until his retirement in 1994.

He was an avid race horse supporter and owned many well known Maine harness horses, mostly trotters, including Baby Mark, Tearaway Chip, Grandpa Harry, and To Ri Buck. He enjoyed growing an abundant vegetable garden each year and sharing it with many friends and relatives.

He enjoyed spending time at the two camps he had built in Blackguard and on Whitney Pond. He also enjoyed deer hunting and walking in his many acres of woodlots. He supported his town and neighboring areas, from the local church, hospital, cemetery association, and many community activities.

The main focus of his life was always the love he had for his family. Everything he did, was for their benefit, which was always foremost on his mind and in his heart.

He is survived by his loving wife of 57 years; three daughters and their husbands, Beth and Tom Jones of Minot, Peggy and I.J. Pinkham of East Boothbay and Martha and Bob Holden of North Bridgton; 11 grandchildren, Matthew, Mark, Timothy, Tyler, Luke, Ross, Leslie, Kimberly, Danny, Amie and Casey; a sister and her husband, Joyce and Arthur Gouin of Norway; a sister-in-law, Edythe Read of Chatham, Mass.; a daughter-in-law, Terri of North Waterford; an aunt, Grace Cummings of South Paris; and many loving nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents; two brothers Rodney and Keith; and a son, Read.

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