LEWISTON – Lionel Daniel Dubord, 73, of Long Pond, Livermore, passed away late Tuesday, Feb. 13, at the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute.

He was born in Jay on Jan. 29, 1934. He was one of 13 children who lived at their family home on Otis Street in Chisholm. As a boy, he spoke French until the age of 5 when he entered the Catholic School at St. Rose and began learning English as a second language.

Growing up in this large family of 15, he had fond memories of passing a loaf of bread just once around the table before it was gone. He also had wonderful memories of all the kids piling into the family van, which had been outfitted with bench seats along the walls, and heading to Long Pond to spend the day it usually took more than one trip to get the whole family with friends down to the camp.

In his teens, he worked alongside his brothers and sisters at their father’s store, Dubord’s Supermarket, located on Main Street in Jay, where he learned the value of hard work and owning your own business. At age 16, he bought his first apartment building on Sewall Street, the first of many properties in the Jay-Livermore area that he would own throughout his life. Utilizing his experience gained at the family store, he opened his own business, Lee’s Butcherette, in Dixfield at the age of 19.

In 1956, he enlisted in the Army. He served during the Korean War and was sent to Europe. Whenever he had spare time, he would hop on a train and explore Austria, Germany, France and Italy.

Upon his return, he became a contractor and developed the River View Heights community in Jay, ultimately building dozens of homes in the Jay community. He acquired his real estate license and in 1959, opened Lionel D. Dubord Realty in Livermore Falls. He loved the land and was continually motivated to work so that he could purchase more property. He never retired from his real estate business and was active up until his death, working alongside his daughter Kristen and son-in-law Matthew, who will carry on his life’s work. For more than 47 years, he was much admired and respected by those in the real estate business community.

In 1968, he married Marilyn (Goding) Thomas and built a home on top of Jay Hill. Together, they raised five children, Karen, Tim, Michelle, Danielle and Kristen. He loved the land and working outside. He planted orchards filled with different varieties of cherry, walnut, plum, peach and apple trees. Each year, the gardens grew larger and he involved the family in picking the blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and pumpkins and other vegetables for canning, freezing or selling alongside the road.

In 1983, he purchased the camp on Long Pond from his brother Frank and the family started spending summers down at the “Lazy Joe.” In his spare time, he loved to build and work outside and over the years, he added to the camp and the grounds, first a new screen house, a dock, a waterslide, a tree house he worked so his children could have fun and he encouraged friends, neighbors and other acquaintances to come and enjoy it as well. There were always children around, and he would sit at the water’s edge in a lawn chair, relaxing and watching them play. For many, many years, he started and ended each day with a long canoe ride around the lake. He was a quiet observer and appreciator of nature. He would often stare at a beautiful view and remind you to “close your eyes and take a mental picture.” He said those pictures helped him through the longest winter days.

In 1987, he moved permanently to a small home he restored in the woods behind the family camp. To keep up with his growing family, he bought and restored a new camp just behind the Lazy Joe. His children christened it the “Lazy Lionel,” a play on words; because, like his father before him, he was anything but lazy.

He was above all known to be a man of much generosity and kindness, both to his family and the community. He cared deeply for all people, young and old, rich or poor, and often opened his doors to share his home and life with them. The last few years of his life were happy ones for him – the summer days at camp were the highlights. In the evening, sitting by the lake surrounded by his children, his daughter-in-law, sons-in-law, and his grandchildren, he would often remark: “These are the best days of my life.” This saying was more than his standard proclamation it speaks of who he was: a man who could see the beauty in the world around him, who took great pleasure in family, and who always embraced the simple pleasures of life.

He was an active communicant of St. Rose of Lima Church and was a lifetime member of the Frank L. Mitchell VFW Post 3335 of Jay.

He will be deeply missed by his survivors, including all of his children and grandchildren, Karen, Bill, Jennifer and John Kissam of Matthews, N.C., Tim, Heidi, Bridget, Erik and Garrett Thomas of Portland, Michelle, Mark, Silas and Levi Shutty of Durango, Colo., Danielle, Brad, Benjamin and Samuel Betts of New Gloucester, Kristen Dubord and Matthew Friedman of Norridgewock; his former wife; his sisters, Claire Castonguay, Lucille Dubord, Anne Duguay, Louise Leblanc and Jean Shattuck; and brothers, Joseph, Maurice and Andre Dubord.