Richard Norman Lord

SCARBOROUGH – Richard Norman Lord of Scarborough entered peacefully into eternal life on Jan. 9, 2025, after a short illness. He was born in Portland, on Dec. 11, 1935, to Gerald Elmer and Myrtle May (Prout) Lord. Dick was raised on Kelsey Street in South Portland, where he attended school and excelled in sports, particularly football, basketball, and baseball, to include the Morrill Post’s American Legion Team. His senior class write-up in the 1954 Headlight said, “Watch Dick as he comes to bat, ready and waiting as he tips his hat.” Dick went on to study agricultural science at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, a natural next step after working summers at the C. C. Mitchell’s Sons Farm on Spurwink Road in Scarborough. 

It was through friends of the Mitchell family that he met the love of his life, Carole Lee Emmons, and they were married at the Black Point Congregational Church on Sept. 8, 1956. Dick continued working on the farm in the summer and delivering heating oil for Urquhart’s in the winter. He was a devoted father to Rick and Jerry, and they have fond memories of daily drives – on a bench seat without seatbelts! – to deliver lettuce and cabbage to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. (And no trip home was complete without a stop at the Bel-Aire Diner in Peabody, Mass. for a hamburger, fries, and a shake.)

Dick was active in the community and in the boys’ lives while they were growing up. He shared his love of sports by coaching their Midget Basketball and Little League teams (the “Vets”); he good-naturedly participated in Boy Scout camping exploits and the Pleasant Hill School PTA, including its annual Spring Fair. Dick was an active volunteer on Scarborough Fire Department Engine 3 in Pleasant Hill, and helped conduct their Halloween hayrides for many years. He and Carole bowled in a couples’ league at the Big 20, and enjoyed summer cocktails and cookouts with the neighbors on Robinson Road. He rooted for the Red Sox and he played a mean game of cribbage! Finally, Dick followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a Mason, and was a proud Past Master of the Gov. William King Lodge in Scarborough, where he was instrumental in renovating the former Alger Grange Hall in Dunstan for their new home in the 1980s. In retirement, Dick served as President of the Black Point Cemetery Board of Trustees.

Not one to sit on the sidelines, Dick did more than “keep busy” after leaving the Brockway-Smith Company. He and Carole doted on granddaughter Allison, babysitting during her pre-school years and attending all the activities that followed. (In his last big outing, he was the proud grandfather at her wedding in October.) The couple thought nothing of impromptu trips to Yarmouth or New York to waterproof a basement, paint wood siding, mud new drywall, or offer moral support for any construction or renovation project. These “volunteer” projects wore out one Craftsman shop vac (!), and the beautiful kitchen cabinets he made continue to provide his boys happy memories every day.

Dick is survived by his sons Richard Lord (Paul Lambert) of Schaghticoke, N.Y., and Gerald Lord of Yarmouth; granddaughter Allison Carpenter (Alec) of Portland, and Allison’s mother Katie Lord of Cumberland; Marie Ameika and her sons Owen and Trevor Crone of Freeport and Brunswick; sister Geraldine Leeman of Hallowell; sister-in-law Sally Iverson (Rev. Neil) of Eustis; several nieces; Diane Brown and his “adopted” sisters in the Mitchell clan in Scarborough; and his lifelong friend Frank Morrison of Scarborough. He was pre-deceased by his parents; his wife Carole; his brother-in-law Ronald Leeman; and his close friend and teammate Jere Davis. He will be terribly missed.

The family would like to thank the Wallace and Cook families for keeping a watchful eye on Dad and setting a new high-bar for terrific neighbors, as well as the folks at Al’s Variety, Pat’s Pizza, and Raber’s State Farm Office who always treated him like family. Also, thanks to Drs. Farino and Dmytrasz of MaineHealth for their unwavering care, and to the staff at Northern Light Health, From the Heart, Scarborough Terrace, Sedgewood Commons, and Affinity Hospice for the care and comfort provided in Dad’s final months and days. Heartfelt thanks go to Frank Morrison, his “best man” to the end.

Arrangements are by the Hobbs Funeral Home at 230 Cottage Road, South Portland, where friends can pay their respects on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, from 1-3 p.m., a service celebrating Dick’s life follow at 3 p.m. Interment will be at the Black Point Cemetery in Scarborough, in the spring.

Online condolences may be expressed at http://www.hobbsfuneralhome.com.

You could always count on Dick Lord to lend a hand or hold a door. Please continue that legacy by considering a donation in Dick’s name to the Food Pantry Ministry of the First Congregational Church of Scarborough, the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, or the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.