1941 – 2017

AUBURN — Edward J. Wall, 75, of Lisbon passed away Sunday, Jan. 15, at Clover Health Care Facility in Auburn after a lingering illness.

Born in Westerly, R.I., on June 20, 1941, he was the son of John J. Wall Sr. and Mary A. Tierney Wall. He graduated from Lewiston High School and attended St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he majored in history and economics.

For nearly 47 years, Ed was president of Aaron Homes (a manufactured home sales and residential company). He owned and operated Worumbo Estates, later adding Worumbo Park, a community for sectional homes. With the help of employees, family members and friends who so generously gave of their extra time on weekends, he transformed what was originally a small primitive-looking mobile home park into what are now thriving model manufactured-home communities. His concerns were not only for the daily operation of the parks but extended to the residents as well. He took a personal interest in their lives and on numerous occasions would be instrumental in getting them some needed assistance without expecting anything in return.

He was a board member of the Manufactured Housing Association of Maine and was very active in the formulation of legislation relating to manufactured housing in the state of Maine. At one time, he was a part owner of Burlington Industries, a manufactured home builder, formerly in Oxford. Throughout his years in the manufactured housing industry, he and many other associates of this industry created close bonds of friendship.

From 1980 to 1985, he worked at Bath Iron Works, starting as a purchase order administrator and rising to the position of supervisor of electrical purchasing. His significant cost-saving contributions while at Bath Iron Works earned him several recognition awards.

His work on behalf of the citizens of Lisbon as a member of various boards, committees and most importantly on the Board of Selectmen, was a source of great pride and satisfaction for Ed and involved countless hours of work. He was dedicated to reducing taxes and to making certain that the town was operated in a fiscally responsible manner. “Impossible” was not a word in his vocabulary and he usually could come up with a solution for any problem, the Farwell Mill project being a prime example. Because of his hard work and resourcefulness, he succeeded in getting the right people to help remove the many barriers that arose on this project. He monitored every phase of construction in order to achieve the best results. He was the primary moving force for the successful completion of this abandoned project to convert an old mill eyesore into a Lisbon downtown showcase building of more than 80 apartments. In recognition of his achievements on behalf of the town of Lisbon, he was honored as the Rotary Club Citizen of the Year in 1994.

His greatest pride, however, was his family. He was totally involved in their development — stressing knowledge and education and giving wise counsel. When his children were growing up, Ed would take the family on impromptu weekends to Boston and other destinations. The weekends always included educational points of interest as well as fun mixed in attending the Pompeii exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, when his daughter was studying Pompeii in school, for example. As much as his health would allow, he continued to do this with his grandkids with trips to Boston and Washington, D.C.

Many evenings were spent at Sea Dogs games with one or a few of the grandkids. He knew how to create good memories.

Educational trips didn’t stop with his family. When he heard Monet’s paintings were on exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, he took the Lisbon High School art class to see the exhibit.

Ed was a very compassionate person — especially when it came to taking care of his parents. He took many trips to Florida to be with his parents in times of sickness and eventually he and his wife spent winters in Florida to be with his aging mother.

Being Irish was also a great source of pride for Ed and one of his regrets was that he never visited Ireland.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, the former Constance Bedard; his daughter, Christine and companion, Gerald Perron; his son Edward II and companion, Karen Weber; his grandchildren, Katelyn Lacombe, Richard Lacombe, Jacob Wall, Tyler Wall, Brandi DiRenzo and Alicia Weber; and four great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brothers, James and his wife, Constance, of Malvern, Pa., Robert and his wife, Deanna, of Lewiston, William and his wife, Sue Ellen, of Austin, Texas; his sisters, Sheila (Wall) Aliberti and her husband, Henry, of Auburn, Kathleen (Wall) Spector and her husband, Scott, of Lisbon; a sister-in-law, Nancy Wall of South Portland.

He was predeceased by his parents; and his brother, John J. Wall Jr.

The family would like to express their appreciation for the compassionate care given to Edward by the Clover staff as well as the Androscoggin Hospice staff.

Online condolences and sharing of memories may be expressed at www.lynchbrothers.com.