By Maggie Gill-Austern,Staff Writer

FARMINGTON – In what was called one of the biggest funerals Farmington has ever seen, between 600 and 700 people turned out Wednesday to honor and remember 44-year-old Timothy Maillet of Temple, who was killed Saturday in a motorcycle accident.

The 75-minute service was packed with mourners who stood inside and spilled out the doors of the Wiles Funeral Home. After, hundreds of people congregated at the Farmington Elks Lodge where Maillet was a member, crying and laughing, telling stories and holding up one another as they remembered him.

Maillet, who grew up in Wilton but moved to Temple with wife, Belinda, years ago, was known far and wide as one of the best mechanics – and kindest men – around.

He was “a very respectable gentleman, and it was an honor – a complete honor – to be his friend,” said mourner Dale Tracy.

A volunteer with the Temple Fire Department and vice president of the Temple ATV Club, Maillet was known as “the kind of guy you’d trust with your life,” said Tracy.

“He could do it all, and he did,” said lifelong friend and funeral speaker Patrick Carleton.

Family friend Rhonda Wiles chatted with friends about how sometimes women can feel awkward taking a car to a mechanic, “But you just knew if Tim and his crew were taking care of you, he would be fair and straight and give you that extra piece of service, of kindness, that he didn’t have to do. He had a heart of gold,” Wiles said.

“I was privileged to grow up with his family,” she added. “He was a wonderful uncle and a really unique guy.”

One of the things Maillet loved to do most was ride his bike. He regularly led bike trips around Franklin County and usually took the lead, making sure those behind him were safe and having a good time, said Carleton. His wife Belinda often accompanied him, Carleton said. Though Maillet was the kind of guy who wanted to make everyone feel special and called many women “darling,” it was obvious he only had eyes for one woman. “She loved Tim for who he was, for what he is,” Tracy said.

To honor Maillet, whom many of mourners seemed to consider more a brother than just a friend, nearly 50 of his friends rode from Farmington to Kingfield and back, through the rain after the service. They followed Tim Sullivan, who rode the old bike Maillet spent years riding before selling it to Sullivan recently.

“All these people here were Timmy’s brothers and sisters,” Carleton said, his voice breaking the first of many times. “We did this (ride) because it was the right thing to do.”

“It’s what he loved most,” said Sandy McAlpine. And “When we hit that road out of Kingfield,” with the S-curves Maillet loved so much, McAlpine said she began to cry. They all did.

The sound of motorcycles coming and going filled the air in Farmington throughout the day and night on Tuesday and Wednesday. So many people came to pay their respects Tuesday night, Carleton said, “There were people standing out the front doors and onto the road, (waiting) for hours, in the rain.”

The Tuesday night visiting hours and Wednesday funeral were “a mixture of happiness, for having known him, and sadness for having lost him,” Carleton said. “It was a very tough day.”

Then Carleton quoted Maillet, the happy-go-lucky man who always knew, no matter how lost, or cold, or miserable things got, “It would always be OK.”

“This road comes out somewhere, then we’ll know where we are,” he said Maillet always said.