Richard Condon (1935-2023)

FARMINGTON – Richard H. Condon, loving son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and teacher, passed away on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, at the age of 88. Family members were with him at Franklin Memorial Hospital.

Richard was a professor and author who possessed a razor sharp intellect and a wry sense of humor. He was also kind, gentle, a great listener, helpful and generous to all he encountered.

Richard was born May 29, 1935 in Brunswick to Kenton R. and Madelyn Condon. In 1941, the family moved to Lewiston. An only child until the age of 13, when his sister Mary was born, he developed a lifelong love of books. Periods of isolation due to childhood illness strengthened this tendency. A music lover and avid pianist, he began lessons at the age of twelve and derived pleasure from this hobby his entire life.

After graduation from Lewiston High school in 1952, Richard entered Bates College, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in history in 1956. He was proud of being a Bates alum and of his daughter for choosing his alma mater.

In June 1957, Richard married Colleen Rowell with whom he would spend nearly 65 years. They would start their journey together in Rhode Island, where he was completing his doctorate work. Colleen taught school before they welcomed their first child, David. After receiving his PhD from Brown, Richard accepted a teaching position at Kent State University in Ohio. Ohio memories were filled with welcoming their second child, Caroline; worrying about the furniture in their rented apartment, and loading up their ‘53 Chevy for the long trips across the New York State Thruway to return to Maine for the summers.

Richard and Colleen had long set coming back to Maine as a goal. After teaching in Oneonta, New York, for a year, they moved to Maine in the Summer of 1965. Richard was hired by Farmington State Teachers College, later to become UMF, as a professor of history. A busy summer followed – teaching a summer class, buying the house they would share for over fifty years, and welcoming their third child, Robert.

Shortly after settling in Farmington, Richard, together with his family, joined St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. He served as treasurer for the church for 52 years, until just a few months before his passing. St. Luke’s was always a constant in his and Colleen’s life.

Richard would teach at UMF for 35 years retiring in 2000, having taught generations through the late 1960’s, Vietnam, Watergate, and all of the other political changes of the 1980’s and 1990’s. His students often would say hello to him for years after his retirement, and he would always remember their names.

Richard also published scholarly articles on the history of Maine. His career as a historian and teacher of history intersected with his passions for telling poignant stories about people and bringing them to life in eloquent writing. He kept diaries throughout his adult life, and drawing on the diaries and his memories, he wrote accounts of his childhood, and of his and Colleen’s courtship, to be shared with his family.

Richard and Colleen were overjoyed to become grandparents, even though it came a little later in life. They jumped into the role, spending as much time as they could with all four of their  grandchildren.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Franklin Memorial Hospital, Susan Hutchins, Androscoggin Home Health, and all of the folks who helped him in his time at home.

He is survived by his son David of St. Petersburg, FL, daughter, Caroline and granddaughters Olivia and Esmeralda of Drogheda, Ireland, son Robert, his wife Leanne and grandchildren Ollie and Riley, all of Farmington; his sister, Mary, her husband Fred, his nephew Tom of Winslow, and many grand nieces, a grand nephew, and their children. He was predeceased by his wife Colleen Rowell Condon.

Memorial services will be held from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Wilton on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 at 4:00 pm with a light reception to follow. The family suggests that those who desire consider memorial gifts in his memory to St. Luke’s Church. Private interment will be at Fairview Cemetery in Farmington.

Memories may be shared in his Book of Memories at www.wilesrc.com. Wiles Remembrance Center of Farmington is honored to be caring for the services.