BIDDEFORD — Robert “Bob” Boilard, who former Saco mayor Mark Johnston says was a “pillar of our community,” died Monday at the age of 89.

Boilard was born on March 28, 1925 in Saco. He attended St. Louis High School in Biddeford and served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. He worked as a machinist at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for 35 years, before retiring in 1983.

He is perhaps best remembered, though, as an environmental activist. Boilard, a resident of Biddeford, spent many years advocating for the conservation and protection of the Saco River.

He was also one of the few people who opposed the Maine Energy Recovery Company from the very beginning of the trash incinerator’s operations on Lincoln Street in the 1980s, Biddeford resident Richard Rhames said Wednesday.

“When they first turned the thing on, (Boilard) used to show up at meetings and say, ”˜Do you want to come down to my house and hear what that thing sounds like?’” Rhames said Wednesday, referring to the noisy and often foul-smelling waste-to-energy plant. “He knew the sounds of the river, and this added many, many decibels.”

Rhames also commended Boilard for being instrumental in the creation of the Saco River Corridor Commission; Boilard was one of its founding members.

“It’s one of the main reasons why the Saco River has not been a running sewer,” said Rhames. “(Boilard) would go down and take water samples in the river … He would show up at the meetings and complain about the water quality.”

Rhames added that when it comes to fighting for a cause in politics, there unfortunately aren’t many people who dedicate more than a few weeks or a few months to it. But Boilard was different, he said, fighting for what he believed in his entire life.

Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant, who served on the City Council in the ”˜70s, ”˜80s and ”˜90s, said he remembers seeing Boilard in the audience at “every single (council) meeting for weeks at a time.”

“He was a regular visitor to our council proceedings, and, of course, he always advocated strongly and passionately for water quality,” Casavant said Wednesday. “The Saco River was his best friend.”

Boilard was known statewide. In a statement Wednesday, Sen. Susan Collins pointed to the many ways he contributed to his community as well as his country.

“As an employee of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, outdoor enthusiast, and tireless advocate to protect the Saco River, Bob Boilard left a lasting impact on his community,” said Collins. “Perhaps his greatest influence, however, was his service to our country as a United States Marine in the South Pacific during World War II.”

Politically speaking, Boilard was a Republican at a time when being a Republican was not very popular in Biddeford, said Casavant.

He was also a member of the American Legion and the Saco Yacht Club. He loved to fish and even did so often with former president George H.W. Bush, who summers in nearby Kennebunkport.

“Bob Boilard was a great friend and fishing buddy, and we Bushes sure are going to miss him,” according to a statement emailed from the family Wednesday. “He was such a good man that only the fish are happy today.”

Johnston, who served with Boilard on the Saco River Corridor Commission, said Wednesday that he is glad to have seen the twin cities add Boilard’s name to a plaque on the Somesville Bridge in 2007.

“He was a strong environmentalist,” Johnston said, remembering Boilard fondly. “We should all have more Bobs around.”

— Staff Writer Angelo J. Verzoni can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].