FARMINGTON – William “Bill” Sumner, 79, of Farmington, Maine passed on Nov. 21, 2020, at Maine Medical Center in Portland with his family at his side.

He was born in Walkerville, Ark., on Oct. 27, 1941, the son of Burnice and Eddie Mae (Simms) Sumner. Attending school in Emerson, Arkansas, and graduating May 19, 1960. He was a proud veteran, entering the U.S. Navy on June 16, 1960 and serving from 1960-1964.

He loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing and sharing these passions with family and friends. He preferred to be in the woods and the squirrels didn’t stand a chance. He had a gift for mechanics and loved sharing his knowledge. He also has a gift for not remembering where he left those necessary tools saying “somebody else used them”. Friends would often call on him to help fix something mechanical that no one else could figure out. He was a self- educated man who could look at a problem, sit down with a piece of paper, figure it out and then make it happen.

For 10 years, after retiring in 2007 from Verso Paper in Jay, he would spend the winter at his property in Walkerville, Ark., returning to Maine for the summer where he enjoyed fishing and gardening, always traveling with one of his dogs. He had a passion for life and was a man of integrity, committed to those he loved.

He will be greatly missed by his life partner of 23 years, Debbie Seeley; daughter, Lisa Fisk (Matthew) of Maud, Texas, their children Breanna, Savannah and Melissa; daughter, Buffy Reeve (Nathan) of Farmington, their children, Jose and Iliana; daughter, Melissa Emmons (Steve) of Farmington, their children Jackson and Wren, and four great-granddaughters.

Cremation cared for by Wiles Remembrance Center, 137 Farmington Falls Road, Farmington.

A kind word may be left in his Book of Memories at http://www.wilesrc.com

Donations may be made in his memory to the Franklin County Animal Shelter

550 Industry Rd.

Farmington, ME 04938. Or to the Lancer Legacy Ranch, go to http://www.lancerlegacyranch.org/giving or mail to

4538 C.R. 1202

Maud, TX 75567.

This is a veteran problem-solving community in Maud, Texas. They empower veterans to reclaim their lives by identifying obstacles to success, providing temporary housing when necessary and connecting them with medical, legal, educational and unemployment resources within the community.