Leon A Poland Jr.

WOODSTOCK – Leon A Poland, Jr. passed away Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, at his home in Perkins Valley, Woodstock, Maine. As he battled cancer his family came together and granted his wish of remaining at home. His final days were filled with all the people he loved most… sharing precious stories, family history and laughter thru tears.

Leon was born in Woodstock as the eldest son of his parents, Leon (Buster) and Claribel Poland. He has three siblings, Beverly Dayton (deceased), Kenneth Poland and Donna Kusheba.

Leon met the love of his life Rosalie Allen in Woodstock. They married and purchased the log cabin in Perkins Valley originally built by Leon’s father Buster. They spent 66 loving years there before she passed in December 2023. During their retirement years, a favorite pass time was going for a drive, finding an old country road they hadn’t been on before and stopping for a lunch along the way.

He spent his life working hard to support his family and help others. During his early employment, he worked for Morris Benson in the woods and delivering coal. He then spent 10 years making shoes for B.E. Cole Co and Francine in Norway. He worked for Hadley’s for 12 years as a mechanic, delivering oil and discovering his talent with backhoe/excavation work. This led to starting Poland’s Construction where he set up home lots, dug foundations and wells while also building roads for the State of Maine for 25 years. He often reminded his family that creating a life in the beautiful state of Maine meant you had to be a jack of all trades. This encouraged him to mentor, teach and prepare willing family members to share his skill operating equipment, driving large trucks, and making things happen. His son Larry worked in Poland’s Construction for many years as an excellent equipment operator. He co-founded L&L Development with his eldest son Lloyd to set up and rent mobile home lots while still running Poland’s Construction. When he retired from Poland’s Construction, he worked part time for son Lloyd and continued to train the generations of grandsons and great grandsons on excavators and heavy equipment to build roads, install septic systems with a heavy emphasis on keeping all tools and equipment in good working order. You might often hear them say…How would Papa do this? Part of his legacy was the blessing of four generations working together!

Leon loved the outdoors and was an active sportsman, hunter, and outdoor enthusiast. From trapping in the early years to deer and bob cat hunting, or coon trials with his dog Beauty…he loved being in the woods on foot, on snow shoes, riding a snowmobile or his four-wheeler. He belonged to the local big bucks’ club and greatly enjoyed the annual suppers trading stories of the one they got or the one that got away.

He was an engaged part of the community… serving as a Selectman for 12 years in the town of Woodstock. He and his wife Rosalie received the “Spirit of America” Award and were honored by the Franklin Grange with the Community Citizen Award.

Leon is survived by his three children, Leilani Poland (husband Burt Bertram ) in Orlando, Fla., Lloyd Poland (Jan Conley Poland) in Oxford and Larry Poland (Gloria Poland) in West Paris. Leon is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren.

In the words of his family “a great man has passed “. He shall be remembered for his honesty, strong sense of responsibility, his work ethic, his love of fixing things, his sportsman passion for hunting, his strong sense of humor and most of all his love and devotion to his family.

A celebration of life will be scheduled later this spring at the Adventist Church in Perkins Valley, Woodstock open to all family and friends. Closer to that time, we will announce a date and time.