Former state Sen. Harry Vose of Meddybemps dies at 79

A man who friends said could light up a room with his laughter died Sunday after a short battle with cancer.

Former state Sen. Harry Vose, D-Meddybemps, was 79.

Born in Eastport, Vose attended Shead High School. After high school, he spent two years in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He then became a surveyor for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission of Maryland, where he worked for 28 years. Vose retired at 48 and returned to his hometown in 1975. He was a member of the Eastport City Council and state House of Representative and Senate.

Vose was surrounded by his family – wife Ellie, daughters Linda and Terry, and his five grandchildren – at a hospital in Florida when he died. He summered in Crystal Falls, Fla., after he retired from the Legislature. He had hoped to return to his home in Meddybemps this month.

At the end, Ellie Vose told her husband of 61 years they would meet again. They were married on Dec. 19, 1945.

“I told him we haven’t finished our 61st year. I told him don’t get up there and look up your old friends and go golfing,” she said. “I told him to go over to Gate 61 because that’s where I am going to be and we have to finish the rest of our lives together.”

Ellie Vose said that although she can’t carry a tune, she chose words from one of their favorite songs, made famous by comedian Bob Hope. “I told him, ‘Thanks for all the lovely memories,'” she said, using words from Hope’s theme song.

She said that Harry told his family, “Don’t cry for me, I’ve had a good life.”

Longtime friend Gov. John Baldacci expressed his sympathies to the family.

“There never was a better advocate for Washington County than Harry Vose, nor one who got better results for his constituents,” the governor said. “Harry worked tirelessly and had a statewide vision. He was a good friend with an excellent sense of humor. I will miss him dearly.”

Vose was recognized along with others last year for his efforts to open a veterans home in Washington County. Vose submitted a bill in 1992 to have a health care facility for veterans built locally. The governor, who was a senator at the time, was championing another bill for Maine veterans homes in Bangor and South Paris. They struck a deal where each would support the other’s projects. It took 12 years, but finally ground was broken in 2004. The veterans home opened in Machias in 2005.

Vose’s friendship with people extended across party lines. Often during the annual Eastport 4th of July parade, Vose could be seen walking with U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, even though other candidates would walk with their individual party members.

“Traveling to Eastport to march in the Fourth of July parade was how I came to know Harry Vose. Over the years, I came to respect him tremendously for his remarkable service representing Washington County in the state Legislature,” Snowe said. “He was a man of tremendous character and indomitable spirit. I think I speak for the many throughout our state who know him in saying that he will be sorely missed.”

After he returned to Eastport, he ran for the City Council. He was a member of the Eastport City Council from January 1976 until December 1978. He was elected chairman of the council on Jan. 8, 1978. He also was a member of the local chapter of the American Legion.

Eastport City Manager George “Bud” Finch said Monday that his family and Vose’s were good friends. He said his mother used to baby-sit a young Harry Vose.

The city manager said that Vose was a strong supporter of Eastport and Washington County. “He was a key figure in bringing the Port Authority to Eastport,” Finch said.

He also said Vose had a lot of “passion” for his community. “He worked hard toward the things that he believed in. I have great respect for Harry,” Finch said.

Vose ran for the Legislature and served 10 years in the House of Representatives and four years in the Senate. In 1994 he announced he was ready to retire. “My wife and I are not getting any younger and wish to spend our remaining years enjoying the leisure and relaxation we both have earned,” he said at the time.

While in the Legislature, Vose served on the Fisheries and Wildlife, Judiciary, Marine Resources and Utilities committees. He was Senate chairman of the Maine Resources for four years.

State Sen. Kevin Raye, R-Perry, expressed the sentiment of many in the Legislature upon learning of Vose’s death on Monday.

“I was saddened to learn of the passing of Harry Vose. As an Eastport city councilor, state representative and state senator, Harry was a true public servant and a tireless advocate for Washington County. My heart goes out to Harry’s wife, Ellie, and their daughters in their time of sorrow. I hope they take comfort in the knowledge that Harry touched countless lives and his many friends across Washington County and in Augusta share their sense of loss,” Raye said.

Former Washington County commissioner, friend and golf partner Ralph Ray of Robbinston said Vose had an outgoing personality. “He had a good attitude about life,” he said.

Ray said that Vose often talked about being raised in a household of women – his grandmother, mother and aunt. “His grandmother was the matriarch of the group. He had a different kind of upbringing,” Ray said.

Vose’s friend John Wakin of Meddybemps called Vose an “exceptional” man. “Not many people can retire at 48 and not have a high degree or be a corporate CEO. That says a lot about Harry and his abilities,” Wakin said.

Former businessman Dan Hollingdale of Robbinston said Vose used to visit the morning coffee group in Calais. He kept them informed about Augusta. “He was always entertaining as well. He had a great sense of humor,” Hollingdale said.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.