SOUTH PORTLAND – Norman Parrott lived a pretty simple life and he couldn’t have been happier.

He was a truck driver for Hannaford Bros. Co. for 20 years and a devoted husband and father to his two children.

He took pride in his home in South Portland’s Willard Square neighborhood and enjoyed walking along the city’s Greenbelt Walkway.

“He was happy,” said his wife, Maureen Parrott of South Portland. “He just enjoyed being at home I’ll miss sitting around with him and his quirky sense of humor.”

Mr. Parrott died early Wednesday at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough. He was 61.

Mr. Parrott drove a tractor-trailer for Hannaford, making delivery runs as far away as Millinocket and Dover-Foxcroft, and south to New York City and Philadelphia.

Advertisement

His wife said he liked the independence of being on the road. She said he received many driving safety awards, including the Million Mile Safe Driving Award in 1999.

“He was proud of driving for Hannaford (supermarkets),” his wife said. “He had a nice, smooth career with them.”

He retired in 2008 when his health began to decline.

Bob Cyr, a driver supervisor for Hannaford Trucking, said Mr. Parrott was a good guy who often volunteered to take long trips to help other drivers.

“He wanted to make sure the operation ran the way it was supposed to be run,” Cyr said. “I’m deeply saddened by his passing. My heart goes out to his family.”

Mr. Parrott was married to Maureen Parrott for 27 years. She remembered him on Wednesday as a loving husband and father who worked hard to give his children a good life. She said he coached his son’s soccer teams and often took the family to Sebago Lake, where his mother rented a cottage every summer.

Advertisement

“The kids absolutely loved it,” his wife said. “He was a swimmer and he loved being there. It was always like a family reunion.”

In his later years, Mr. Parrott traveled with his wife. The couple visited San Francisco, New York City and Florida several times to visit family. On many of these trips, they visited historical sites. Mr. Parrott had a passion for history and his family genealogy, his wife said.

“I had to shake him a little bit and say let’s do something,” she said. “He opened my eyes in a way. We enjoyed our little trips. We did everything together. We enjoyed each other’s company.”

The couple went to Q Street Diner about once a week and he went nearly every morning for breakfast.

He usually ordered two blueberry pancakes — heavy on the butter — or the popular John’s breakfast sandwich. He almost always sat at the bar, where he could socialize with the waitpeople and cook.

Virginia Stoltenborg, a waitress at the diner, said Wednesday she was shocked to learn Mr. Parrott had died.

Advertisement

“We were trying to figure out where he had been,” Stoltenborg said. “It’s so sad. He was hilarious. I feel for his family. He’s such a young guy. He was more than a customer; he was family to us.” 

Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at:

mcreamer@pressherald.com

 


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.