Robert Leonard Gay Sr. Obituary (1942

Manchester ~ Robert Leonard Gay Sr. (Umpa) went to be with his Lord and Savior on August 2nd 2017 at the home of his son and daughter-in-law, with his family by his side. He was born on January 23rd 1942 to the late Elmer and Nina (Cook) Gay in Augusta. Bobby met the love of his life, Betty Harding, at Cony High School and they married July 29th 1961. They would have celebrated 56 years of marriage this year. Bobby enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 6th 1959 and attended basic training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey before being sent to Ludwigsburg, Germany as part of the 590th Transportation Company, 4th Transportation Battalion. During the 23 months he was assigned to that command, he completed hundreds of missions delivering cargo safely and surely throughout the Seventh Army area. He drove more than 30,000 miles in Germany under extremely difficult traffic conditions without a single accident or traffic violation. As a result, he received a certificate of achievement for his outstanding service to the United States Army. When he returned to the U.S., he was stationed at Ft. Lewis, Washington. During his service, he received a good conduct medal. Following his military service, he graduated from Mid-State Business School with a degree in business administration. Bobby was a life- long truck driver, working for many trucking companies over the years; he also ran his own company, R.L. Gay and Son. He retired four weeks ago from Steve McGee Construction. Until the very end of his life, Bobby wanted to be on the road trucking, working long hours nearly every day. When he wasn't working, he enjoyed mowing lawns, plowing snow in the winter, watching war films, eating out with various friends and family, and talking about his life experiences. In his words, “he never got bored”. His pride and joy were his grandchildren, spending countless hours taking them fishing up north or taking his granddaughter wherever she wanted to go, regardless of the hour of day. He was predeceased by his parents, Elmer and Nina Gay, his brother Richard Gay, and his sister Norma Loiko. He leaves behind his son, Robert L Gay Jr, and his wife Therese, his brother-in-law Charles Harding, his grandchildren Kyle Gay and his wife April, Kevin Gay, Kimberly (Gay) Pepin and her husband David, his great grandchildren Breanna Rosenbaum, Evelyn and Caroline Pepin, step-grandchildren Justin Trask and his wife Hattie, and Kevin Trask, and step-great grandchildren Olivia, Madeline, and Bella Trask, his brothers Skip Gay and Ronnie Gay, his sisters Joan Marson and Kathy Sergant, his cousins Steven Adams and his wife Brenda, Tom Sawyer and his wife Annette, Penny Stiman and her husband Harry, his wife's aunt Mildred Adams, Lois Slamin and her husband Herb, Joyce Mitchell and her husband Ron, niece Jo Ellen Scott, his good friend and companion of six years Jean Ladd, and his friends Larry and Thelma. There are many other special nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends that are too numerous to mention here but Bobby would want them all to know he appreciated and cared for each one of them. A private family service with military honors will be held at the Harding Cemetery on the family farm in Manchester on August 31st 2017 at 11:00am. The family would like to express their thanks to MaineGeneral Hospice, especially to his nurse Chris, for all of his support, advocacy, and education. Bobby also loved the healthcare team at Inland Family Care in Oakland and had many good friends throughout the community. He was well known for his dependability and selflessness, giving anything and everything he had to help others. He was very good at making people laugh with his dry sense of humor. In addition, he was a renowned storyteller, especially when it came to trucking and the Army; it is these “true stories” as he put it that his family and friends will cherish forever. Arrangements are in the care of Knowlton and Hewins Funeral Home and Cremation Service, One Church Street, Augusta. Memories, condolences, photos, and videos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of our website at www.khrfuneralhomes.com