Born November 20, 1929, in Sabattus, Maine, to Emile and Clara St. Laurent Fontaine, Ralph attended the Lane School in Greene, where he would meet his wife of 64 years, Lucienne Plourde. The two raised dairy cattle and sold milk from the Lane Road farm once owned by Ralph’s parents.
A man of many skills, Ralph found time to cut meat for a local store and drive trucks for Agway before leaving farming to work for Dumais Construction and Nason Plumbing and Heating. In the late seventies, he and Lou turned their Small Point cottage into a year-round home and Ralph became a pipefitter at Bath Iron Works, retiring in 1995. Over the years, Ralph became a skilled woodsman, a talent he developed in adolescence that would serve him through retirement.
Ralph and Lou enjoyed many years at Small Point, where friends and relatives were drawn by the good company and atmosphere surrounding, first, their trailer, tent, and campfire, then their cottage, and, finally, their home overlooking Head Beach. Ralph made a ritual of the traditional shore dinner, buying the biggest lobsters with the hardest shells he could find.
Ralph was also an avid Country Western music fan. Over the years, he and Lou took countless trips across the country to see their favorite stars perform at various places, including the Grand Ole Opry. In 1997, Lou and Ralph continued their travels, buying their home in Englewood, where they would enjoy retirement in the sunshine state.
Ralph is survived by his loving wife, Lou, who cared for him unwaveringly until his final breath. He is also survived by his daughter, Joan Greenwood Woeste and husband Frank, of Blacksburg, Virginia and Venice, Florida; daughter Claire Hanson and husband Thomas of Winthrop, Maine; grandchildren Sean Greenwood of Sabattus, Maine; Christopher Greenwood and wife Stacy of Chattanooga, Tennessee; Melissa Goody and husband Carlton of Poland, Maine; Laura Wolgin and husband Michael of Apex, North Carolina; and Rachel Groenhout and husband Erik of Mount Vernon, Maine; great-grandchildren, James, Joseph, and Lily Grace Greenwood; Mia, Lila, and Milo Wolgin; and Willow and Hazel Groenhout.
Ralph is also survived by his sister, Rita Beaule, and sisters-in-law Carmen Dube and Agathe Poulin and her husband Romeo, all of Auburn, Maine, and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his infant daughter, Theresa; and brothers, Emilien Fontaine, who died serving in World War II, and Leon Fontaine.
A committal service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, August 3, at the Valley Cemetery on Route 202 in Greene, Maine. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Maine Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, 170 U.S. Route 1, Suite 200, Falmouth, ME 04105.
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