1940 – 2014

AUBURN — Stanley Patrick Kuklinski of Farmington passed away at the Hospice House on Wednesday, Sept. 24, from the aftereffects of a stroke he suffered nearly a year ago.

Stan was born in Utica, N.Y., on Oct. 24, 1940, the son of Bernice Tarkowski Jasiewicz and Stanislaw Jasiewicz. His parents divorced when he was very young and Bernice married Eugene Kuklinski, who remained Stan’s father for the rest of his life.

Stan graduated from Utica Free Academy, excelling in baseball, bowling and other sports. He took some college courses and then became a contractor, building dozens of homes in the Utica area, including a new house for his parents.

Stan married Mary Ann Laun of Utica, N.Y., in October 1964. The couple moved to Connecticut, where Stan was in charge of new construction for Agway. Later, he worked in the shoe industry as a distributor for Griswold Rubber Co., traveling throughout the Northeast. In 1981, Stan and Mary Ann pursued their lifelong love of tennis and moved to Lewiston, where they operated the Central Maine Racquet Club, hosting many matches, tennis camps for children and community tennis lessons.

Mary Ann died of cancer in early 1984, leaving Stan to care for their five young daughters. That year, while giving tennis lessons, Stan met and fell in love with then-District Attorney Janet Mills. They married in August 1985. The family lived in Wilton for 12 years and Stan became a real estate developer, building vacation homes and marketing parcels of rural land throughout Western Maine.

Once the girls were grown, Stan and Janet moved to the old Mallory Farm on South Strong Road, where they raised standardbred horses, and later, to Janet’s hometown of Farmington.

In the 1980s, Stan was appointed by Gov. Joseph E. Brennan to the Maine Athletic Commission, ultimately serving as its chairman. In 2004, Gov. John Baldacci appointed him to the Maine Harness Racing Commission, where Stan acted on his passion for harness racing, making sure the rules were enforced for the safety of both the drivers and their beautiful animals.

In recent years, Stan rejuvenated the men’s tennis program at Mt. Blue High School. For seven years, he coached the school’s men’s tennis team, mentoring dozens of young men and teaching both the novices and the experienced players to just “hit the ball over the net one more time.”

Stan loved the people of his adopted hometown of Farmington. He could regularly be seen in town, talking politics and engaging with people at the post office, before having coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts and getting his hair cut at Bob Morgan’s. He was passionate about the Red Sox and the Patriots. His drive on the golf course was long off the tee.

Stan is survived by his wife, Attorney General Janet Mills, of Farmington; his five daughters and three grandsons, Alison Kuklinski Nelson and husband, Richard Nelson, of Old Forge, N.Y., Coleen Kuklinski Lehigh and husband, Keith, and their sons, Zachary and Hayden, of Saco, Tammy Kuklinski Viles and son, Wyatt Viles, of Strong, Kristen Kuklinski of Derby, Conn., and Lisl Kuklinski May and husband, Patrick May, of Portland; several aunts and uncles; and a half-brother and half-sister in New York state.

He was predeceased by his first wife and their infant daughter, Ingrid; his parents; his in-laws; and his brother, Robert Kuklinski.

Tributes and condolences may be shared on his memorial wall at www.wilesrc.com, where his memorial tribute video will be able to be viewed beginning Thursday.