Peter G. Ballou

SOUTH FREEPORT – Peter Ballou passed away peacefully at home in his sleep on the morning of Christmas Eve, his “Irish goodbye”.

He was born to Arthur and Bertha Ballou in Waltham, Mass. on Sept. 8, 1942, nine months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, a fact which tickled his sense of humor.

Into the 82 years of his life he packed a lot of hard work; love for family, friends and cats; and diverse passions–hiking, sports, skiing, boating on Casco Bay, swimming at Long Pond Belgrade, politics and music. Above all, music, especially opera. In his last years, when illnesses robbed him of mobility and strength, he increasingly depended on listening to Sirius broadcasts of Symphony Hall, the Metropolitan Opera, jazz and country. And on watching the Boston Bruins, a love he shared with daughter, Carla.

Peter’s generation (pre-Boomer!) didn’t just play hard. He earned the merit badges to become an Eagle Scout, and brought home excellent grades from Lexington schools, Middlebury College and the University of Maine School of Law. After his graduation, Peter was chosen by the Honorable Sidney Wernick, Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, to be his first law clerk. Working with Judge Wernick promoted Peter’s passion for the law, supporting a lifelong career mainly at the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

Peter began his career at the PUC in the early 1980s as a Staff Attorney and Hearing Examiner. He later became Deputy General Counsel and often took the lead as the Commission’s advocate for appellate work. In these roles, Peter worked tirelessly and long hours to reduce the cost of utility services for Maine residents and businesses. Peter became the lead attorney on telephone issues. Specifically, he managed the complex transition over many years of monopoly telephone service to a more competitive model in which customers could choose their telephone supplier. Peter retired from the PUC after 40 years working for the people of Maine. One of his greatest pleasures in retirement was meeting his PUC co-workers for lunch.

Peter put a lot of energy into his family. He provided consistent support for wife, Lyn, and their two children, Will and Carla. He kept cars running, did electrical work at the house, painted inside and out, helped plan a major addition after the arrival of Will. Will’s arrival also inspired a plunge into boat ownership, with all its attendant challenges. Each spring Lyn would listen for the sound of success when Peter finally got the motor to start. He and son, Will, passed many hours taking care of BirdDog, and sharing piloting duties.

Peter and Lyn met at Middlebury College during the spring of his senior and her sophomore years. They fell in love, but faced a year apart as Lyn had a junior year in Paris ahead of her. They wrote long letters every day and shared only one transatlantic phone call, at Christmas. They decided to marry before her senior year, to avoid further separations. In 2024, Peter and Lyn celebrated their 59th anniversary. They made their life with each other, Will and Carla, in South Freeport Village. There were many trips out west to ski and explore. The family did house exchanges in England’s Lake District and Albi, France. In their retirement, Peter and Lyn explored every corner of Maine, and visited friends out of state.

Peter believed in the promise of our country. In 1963, he and his father attended the famous March on Washington to promote civil rights for African Americans. He never lost his commitment to equality and social justice.

Peter leaves wife, Lyn of South Freeport; son, Will and wife, Alysa of Lewiston, and daughter, Carla and partner Nate Smith of Freeport; brother, Richard; nephew, John and wife Leanne; and great-nieces Kristen Lopez and Kara Ballou; cousins Jeff Smart and wife Karyn, and Lisa Nelson and husband David.

A memorial service will be held at Portland Friends Meeting, 1837 Forest Ave., Portland on Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. The service can be accessed on Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83621623994

Think of Peter as you pursue your passions.

In lieu of flowers,

contributions in Peter’s

memory may be made to

Portland Symphony Orchestra;

The Theater at Monmouth;

or Maine Opera.