NORWAY – Martin Leon Wiley, 92, a virtual lifelong resident of East Otisfield, died Wednesday, Nov. 2, at Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway after a brief illness.

He was born April 16, 1913, in Naples, the only son who survived infancy among the several children of Bennett and Inie Wiley of Otisfield.

Martin attended Otisfield schools until age 15, at which time, due to the sudden death of his father, he was obliged to assume the responsibility of providing for his mother and sisters by taking over the family farm. He also logged and cut ice on Thompson Lake.

He operated the Noizee Brook Farm on Route 121 in East Otisfield for more than 50 years, before retiring in 1980.

He was married for 58 years to the former Irene Freeman, who predeceased him in 1994. Together they raised three children, had a large herd of dairy cattle and were well known for their sweet corn production.

He served his community as a selectman for Otisfield for nine years and as a volunteer fireman. He loved to dance, and on Saturday nights he and Irene could be seen at “Jollytime,” as the Otisfield Community Hall was also known, or in later years at the Locke Mills Grange Hall.

He is survived by his sister, Edith Pulkkinen, of Auburn; two daughters, June and her husband, Robert K. Tracy, and Jean and her husband, Robert A. McAllister, all of Otisfield; a son, Herbert Wiley and his wife, Beth, of Adrian, Mich.; seven grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; a very special companion, Muriel Kimball, of South Paris; and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to his wife, he was predeceased by his parents and his sisters, Marjorie, Millie and Beatrice.


Share your condolences, kind words and remembrances below. You must be logged into the website to comment. Subscribers, please login. Not a subscriber? Register to comment for free or subscribe to support our work.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.