THOMASTON — Our dad, Richard Chester Winslow, passed away Feb. 26, 2015, at the family home in Thomaston after a brief battle with prostate cancer.

He was born Sept. 18, 1947, to Chester Edmund and Mary Doris Young Winslow. His mother died during childbirth. His father, Chester, then met Isabelle Long at the Assemblies of God Church in Thomaston and they were married the following March. Our grandmother loved dad dearly and she greatly impacted his faith in God. She also instilled in him a great love for music.

Dad graduated in 1968 from Georges Valley High School in Thomaston. After high school, he attended Zion Bible Institute for a year and a half. During his time at Zion, he was a part of traveling gospel quartet, the Royal Heirs. He loved singing tenor and was an accomplished accordion player. He will forever be remembered by us kids for playing the Gospel Express while we jumped on his bed.

Our father has always loved coffee milk shakes. It was in 1968, while frequenting the local lunch counter on Maverick Street in Rockland, that Dad met and fell in love with a young waitress named Nancy Lynnette Hastings. They married on July 11, 1970. Mom continued making Dad milk shakes right up until his last day with us.

Dad worked for Knox Hospital and Pen Bay Medical Center for 15 years in the stockroom. After leaving the hospital, he worked for Shore Village Nursing Home in the maintenance department. One year later, Dad left Shore Village to work as a custodian and bus driver for S.A.D 50 (RSU 13) for the next 27 years. Dad loved all the kids that ever came through the doors of the Lura Libby School. He was protective of all the teachers there, who he referred to as “his girls.” Dad's pride and joys were his three kids and seven grandkids. Dad loved hunting, fishing and just being out in the woods. He was also a great carpenter and loved making furniture for his family.

In addition to his parents, Dad was predeceased by his brothers, Donald Coombs, Francis Ripley and Jimmy Winslow. Dad is survived by our mom, Nancy; the three of us kids, Sandy Grindle and her husband, Jason, of Union, Timothy Winslow and his wife, Alison, of Washington, and Robert Winslow and his wife, Morgan, of Waldoboro; his seven beautiful grandkids, Wyatt and Walker Grindle, Laurelai Winslow, and Zoey, Rowan, Bridger, and Eowyn Winslow. Dad also greatly cherished his Brittany spaniel, Hunter.

We, as a family, would like to especially thank Patricia Mellor for all that she has done for us in the last few months of Dad's life.

A celebration of Dad's life will be held Saturday, March 7 at 1 p.m. at Calvary Baptist Church, 185 Atlantic Highway in Warren. A reception of chocolate chip cookies and coffee ice cream will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to "Memorial Bench In Memory of Richard Winslow," c/o Camden National Bank, P.O. Box 880, Rockland, ME 04841. The stone bench will placed in Richard's honor at the Lura Libby School.