WESTBROOK – Patrick “Pat” Gerald Poulin of Westbrook, 89, passed away peacefully on Jan. 24, 2023 at Sentry Hill at York Harbor, in York.

Pat was born on March 18, 1933 in Jackman, the son of George and Georgiana Poulin. The youngest of seven children, Pat’s favorite Christmas was when he was 5 years old. He was given a lantern, just like his father’s, only child size, to use when the two of them went out to the barn to look after the animals. His parents also gave him a small axe, so he could help his lumberjack dad chop wood.

Pat attended Jackman High School, where he excelled at basketball and baseball. He liked to say, “I graduated third in my class. ‘Course there were only six of us!” Outside of high school, Pat worked at his brother Ralph’s garage. He also found employment as a heavy equipment operator and welder.

After graduation in 1953, Pat enlisted in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of sergeant. He returned home to Jackman and married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth “Betty” DeBlois on June 25, 1955. Their family expanded to include two daughters, Susan and Jane, and a business, Poulin’s Auto Parts. A lot of snow typically falls in that part of Maine, and Pat was one of the crew responsible for plowing the 15 miles between Jackman and the Canadian border, often with nothing more than a tall mug of strong coffee and a baloney sandwich to sustain him.

In 1966, the Poulin family moved to Westbrook where Pat built a career in the auto parts distributor business. He began at AWD, starting on the loading dock and working his way up to sales manager. As such, he traveled throughout Maine and was often able to use his fluency in French to seal the deal. Later, he served as the general manager of Steego Auto Parts of New England. Outside of work, Pat developed a passion for flying, the highlight of which was qualifying for his instrument rating and piloting a small plane around the Hawaiian Islands while on vacation.

Leaving work at 56, Pat had a long and happy retirement. Early on, he volunteered at SCORE and the Ronald McDonald House. Later, he served on the Westbrook Public Safety Commission and Overseers of the Poor. Pat was also an avid golfer, who continued playing into his early 80s.

In 2016, he sold his home in Westbrook and moved first to The Park Danforth in Portland, then later to Sentry Hill in York Harbor, where he disliked trivia games, tolerated Bingo, and mostly looked forward to visits with “his girls,” who now lived closer.

Pat was predeceased by his loving wife of 48 years, Betty, and is survived by his two daughters, Jane and Susan Poulin and Susan’s husband, Gordon Carlisle.

A Celebration of Life Mass will be held at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Westbrook on March 17 at 11 a.m., followed by a reception in the Parish Hall.

Visit http://www.lucaseatonfuneralhome.com for online condolences.

In lieu of flowers,

the family asks that a donation be made in Pat’s name to the Maine Golf Scholarship Fund

(https://www.mainegolf.org/our-mission/scholarship/)

or the Maine Blue Collar Scholarship Fund

(https://mainebluecollar.com/).

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