AUGUSTA – Terry E. Pitcher, 70, passed away May 20, 2017 at the Maine Veteran’s Hospital in Augusta.
He was born July 2, 1946 in Endicott, New York, the son of Lawrence and Shirley (Grow) Pitcher.
He was educated in the schools of New York and graduated from Maine-Endwell Senior High School in 1964 and went into military service at the age of 19. He served in the U.S. Army, and did active duty in Vietnam as a combat Heavy Duty Mechanic retrieving tanks that got disabled under gunfire. He was fortunate that he was one of the lucky ones that made it home with no injuries, but had lost many buddies over there and the experience left Terry with war heartaches.
In 1968, he married Cheryl D. Pettit in Union Center, New York. He and Cheryl moved from Maine, New York to Mercer, Maine in 1984 (33 years ago). He worked at Waste Management as a Senior Technician for quite a few years. But also while working there he had his own business, Mercer Motor Works. Then, he decided to retire from Waste Management as an employee, and developed a Tarping Machine for landfills and patented it, built it, and delivered them all across the country. It was just him doing the labor work, and Cheryl doing the paperwork; a regular team they where. Then as they got to retirement age, they decided to sell the patented Tarping Machine to a company in Arkansas. Terry stayed in his Mercer Motor Works business until he closed it in 2015.
Through the years, working in his shop, he would help many people with mechanical problems. His favorite “work uniform” was a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. He could fix anything, and was always there to get someone out of a fix. He also built a 1932 Ford pickup street rod from from frame up. So proud we all are of such a talented man. Then, just last year, he gave his Street Rod to his son, Neal, as a birthday present and was starting to work on a 1975 Chevy Truck. He had plans on working with his son to restore and drag race this souped up truck, but by summer, Terry became real ill and was unable to finish the project. So his whole life revolved around mechanics and metal fabrication.
So many things he could do, he was Cheryl’s MacGyver, even in fixing things around the house that she could not do. Often he would say to her, “What are you going to do when I’m not around?”
Terry is survived by his wife of 49 years, Cheryl D. (Pettit) Pitcher of Mercer; son, Neal Pitcher of Madison; granddaughter, Kathy Pitcher of Skowhegan; 2 brothers, Keith Pitcher and wife Karen of Groton, New York, and Tracy Pitcher of Endicott, New York; 3 sisters, Patricia Lantz and husband Don of Maine, New York, Tammy Hanakovic and husband Steve of Vestal, New York, and Sandi Pitcher of Big Sandy, Texas.
He was predeceased by his parents who died a few years back in the same year.
A graveside service will be held Thursday, June 1, 2017 at 9 a.m. at the Maine Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery, 163 Mt. Vernon Road, Augusta. A Celebration of Life at their home will be announced at a later date sometime this summer.
In lieu of flowers, friends wishing may make donations in Terry’s memory to the American Lung Association | Donation Processing Center | PO Box 7000 | Albert Lea, MN 56007-8001.
Arrangements under the direction and care of Dan & Scott’s Cremation & Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Road, Skowhegan, Maine 04976.
