Funeral held for Falmouth soldier

PORTLAND – Gov. John Baldacci and other top political leaders joined friends and family Friday at the funeral of a state official who died last week in Afghanistan while serving as a captain with the Maine Army National Guard.

Patrick Damon, 41, of Falmouth, who was with the 240th Engineer Group, died June 15 of an apparent heart attack.

Baldacci, the four members of Maine’s congressional delegation, Attorney General Steven Rowe and other state officials attended the funeral Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Damon was a father of two who had taken leave from his job with the Public Utilities Commission when his unit was deployed in January.

As the PUC’s administrative director, Damon was responsible for coordinating the agency’s various divisions, certifying its official acts and overseeing its personnel and budget.