The president of the Cumberland County Fair, Lyle Merrifield of Gorham, passed away unexpectedly at his home at Merrifield Farm on Sunday. His death was confirmed by family members. He was 62 years old.
Widely involved in state agriculture, Merrifield served as the president of the Cumberland Country Fair after being the superintendent of the fair’s museum, blacksmith shop, and steer shows. The fair is put on by the Cumberland Farmers’ Club and takes place Sept. 22-28 this year.
Theodore Googins, vice president of the Cumberland County Fair, will become president of the organization. He said that the fair is set to proceed as anticipated, and will commemorate Merrifield in a tribute to be determined soon.
“There will be a memorial of some kind,” Googins said.
Lyle Merrifield stands in his farm museum at Merrifield Farm in Gorham. Merrifield, the president of the Cumberland Fair and a longtime officer of the Maine Maple Producers Association, died Sunday at his farm. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
The Merrifields are well-known maple syrup producers and she said the family is hoping to keep the operation going. Merrifield had served as the president of the Maine Maple Producers Association since 2009.
Bob Parsons of Parsons Dairy Farm and Maple Products in Gorham knew Lyle Merrifield since their youth. They both attended Gorham schools from the former White Rock Elementary through high school.
As fellow maple syrup producers, Parsons said Merrifield was always willing to help out with production supplies and was “very accommodating with us.”
“I know he was a very good carpenter,” Parsons said.
Jo-Ann and Lyle Merrifield’s daughters, Lexi Merrifield and Molly Bellefleur, are closely involved in both Merrifield Farm and Sugar Shack’s operations and the Cumberland County Fair. Lexi is the superintendent of the shows for large livestock, and Molly oversees the fair’s museum. The sisters told Googins they wished to remain involved in this year’s fair in the wake of their father’s passing.
Information about funeral arrangements for Merrifield was unavailable on Monday.
American Journal reporter Robert Lowell contributed to this report.
This story was updated at 3:30 p.m. Monday to remove suspected cause of death.
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