Barbara McKernan, 86, mother of former Maine governor, dies

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BANGOR – Barbara Guild McKernan, who as a widow raised two boys, one of whom became a Maine governor, died Wednesday of complications from emphysema. She was 86.

A resident of Bangor for almost 70 years, McKernan had been living at Piper Shores, a retirement community in Scarborough, since 2003.

On Wednesday, family and friends remembered McKernan as a dedicated mother, businesswoman and community leader.

“No one could have asked for a more caring, involved or loving parent than my mother,” former Gov. John “Jock” McKernan of Falmouth said in a statement released Wednesday.

Her other son, Robert McKernan, resides in Alexandria, Va.

“She was unfailingly devoted to my brother and me, even as she ceaselessly offered her time and talents to the community and state she loved,” the former governor said.

“My mother embodied the finest ideals of dedication to civic involvement, and her exceptional judgment and wisdom left a positive and lasting mark as well as an example for all of us to follow. We will miss her tremendously,” he said.

John McKernan’s wife, U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, remembered her mother-in-law as “a woman of indomitable strength and remarkable character, who was unflaggingly and lovingly devoted to her sons, grandsons and her entire family.

“She was also a trailblazer in her own right, raising her two sons while also running a weekly newspaper and devoting herself to the community,” Snowe said. “Her civic passion for her beloved Bangor will long be remembered, and she will be profoundly missed by us and all those whose lives she touched.”

Said Wilma Bradford of Bangor, a close friend: “My hat’s off to her because she managed to do it all, and it wasn’t easy, I’m sure.”

Bradford said Barbara McKernan’s passions included the Republican Party, rooting for the University of Maine Black Bears hockey team, and spending time at the family’s summer place at Hancock Point.

Gov. John Baldacci called the McKernan family Wednesday to express his condolences.

“Barbara was an unstoppable force who had a tremendously positive influence on the development of Bangor,” Baldacci said. “She was involved in so many important public matters all while remaining deeply committed to her family. She was an amazing woman.

“I wanted Jock to know that everyone is thinking of him and his family,” Baldacci said.

“Jock was saying that she gave them [her sons] 110 percent,” he said. “Sometimes when you get involved in community affairs your family comes second, but not with her. They were very fortunate.”

The governor has ordered that flags in Bangor be flown at half-staff on Saturday, the day of McKernan’s funeral.

The deceased was born Barbara Guild on Sept. 4, 1920, in Boston and moved to Bangor with her family during her grade school years. She attended Dobbs School in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., and graduated from Nightingale School in New York City before returning to Bangor, where she married John R. McKernan Sr. in 1942.

During World War II, she worked at the Republican National Committee while her husband was assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon.

After the war, the couple made their home in Bangor, where John McKernan Sr. worked for a time as sports editor at the Bangor Daily News, while Mrs. McKernan became active in civic affairs. In 1956, the McKernans bought the Penobscot Times weekly newspaper in Old Town. Upon the death of her husband in 1964, she took the helm of the family’s newspaper, and was its publisher until she sold it 10 years later.

For the next 21 years, she worked in community relations positions for Eastern Maine Medical Center and Bangor Savings Bank.

From 1981 to 1997 she served as a court mediator for the Maine Judicial Court system.

McKernan also served as a Bangor city councilor from 1977 through 1983. During that period, she was elected president of the Maine Municipal Association.

In addition to all that, McKernan served on the Blaine House Restoration Committee, Eastern Maine Development Corp. board of directors, Eastern Maine Technical College advisory council, and on the boards of corporators for Eastern Maine Medical Center, Eastern Maine Health Care and Bangor Savings Bank. She worshipped at All Souls Congregational Church in Bangor.

She received many honors during her lifetime, including, in 1998, the University of New England’s Deborah Morton Award, which recognizes outstanding women with strong ties to Maine.

Bangor Code Enforcement Officer Dan Wellington is among the city administrators who worked for the city during McKernan’s tenure on the council. One of his duties, besides catching stray dogs, was to deliver meeting agendas to council members.

“She was very intelligent, very articulate. She was soft-spoken and never had to raise her voice to get her point across,” he said. “I think Jock got that from her.

“Those were tough, tough budget years,” Wellington said, noting that the city and the nation were dealing with an energy crisis, inflation and cuts in federal funding.

Word of McKernan’s death spread quickly Wednesday, especially in political circles.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense and U.S. Sen. William Cohen, reached in Beijing, issued the following statement:

“Barbara McKernan was one of the best-known and most well-regarded citizens of Bangor and of Maine. She loved her community and her state, and her enthusiasm for politics and public service was well known.

“She was also a savvy and successful businesswoman who contributed significantly to Maine’s economy. Through her two gifted sons, both of whom have been such an important part of the Maine political landscape, Barbara’s legacy will live on for many years,” Cohen said.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins called McKernan “a wonderful woman who will be greatly missed by her family and by all of those who loved her. I always admired her great character and integrity and her devotion to both her family and her community. My thoughts are with Bobby, Jock and their families at this time.”

U.S. Rep. Tom Allen and his wife, Diana, also sent their condolences to the McKernan family:

“Maine and Maine’s people benefited greatly from Barbara McKernan’s dedication to civic and charitable efforts. She was a remarkable and beloved wife, mother and community leader.”

Besides her husband, McKernan was predeceased by a grandson, Peter McKernan.

Visiting hours will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Brookings-Smith Funeral Home in Bangor. Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at All Souls Congregational Church in Bangor. Gifts in Barbara McKernan’s memory may be made to the Barbara G. McKernan Scholarship, Maine Community College System, 323 State St., Augusta ME 04330.