A graveside service with Military Honors for, Leroy Elmer “Roy” Peasley, Sr., who passed away, January 29, 2022, will be held Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at 11 a.m., at Village Cemetery, Erin Street, Thomaston.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Winslow-Holbrook-Merritt American Legion Post No. One, P.O. Box 582, Rockland, ME 04841.

To share a memory or story with Leroy’s family, please visit their online Book of Memories at 110 Limerock Street, Rockland.

ROCKLAND — Leroy Elmer “Roy” Peasley, Sr., passed away comfortably on January 28, 2022, at age 97 in Rockport, Maine.

Roy was born February 16, 1924 in Rockland, Maine. He spent his early years in Rockland and Swan’s Island and moved when he was eight to the Bath Children’s Home. He attended Morse High School, ultimately graduating in 1946, but entered the Marine Corps on January 7, 1943, an act which defined and influenced the rest of his life.

In the Marines Roy served in the Third Marine Division. As an 18-year-old PFC he was chosen to guard President Franklin Roosevelt at Camp Shangri-La (now Camp David) in 1943. After experiencing combat on Guam in 1944, was at the battle of Iwo Jima at age 21 in 1945 and his troop ship, the USS Callaway, was responsible for the medical evacuation of hundreds of Marines. Roy made it back to America and left the Marines on January 1, 1946.

A lifelong believer in education, Roy graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in 1953 with a degree in education and physical education. All told, Roy raised six children, Leroy Jr, Jim, Lloyd, Matthew, Mary, and Levi; another died during childbirth.

He settled in New York and lived and taught there and in Vermont. He moved back to Maine in 1985 and continued his teaching career. He met his life partner, Ruth Stevens, and they settled together in Rockland. In his later years he became well known for his visibility in the community. Many know him from playing basketball at the Rec Center, an activity he continued well into his 70s. But it was his outspoken patriotism and unabashed love for America which defined him the most.

Roy was known locally as the “Flag Man” for raising money and installing flags on downtown Rockland sidewalks, and with his partner, Ruth, putting them out every Holiday. He combined a love of his fellow brother and sisters in the Armed Forces (and especially the Marines) with an antipathy toward war, having experienced first-hand its destructiveness and human cost. For his work, Roy received the Distinguished Service Award from the Marine Corps League in 1995.

He became politically active as well, mostly supporting Democratic causes, but he was not afraid to write or email a Republican in support of his objectives. He was known across the state for his patriotism and his activism, and a highlight was on April 1, 2010, when he was chosen to introduce President Barack Obama at a rally in Portland.

Roy was incredibly physically fit and very well-read; able to converse on any topic. His sharp intellect was tempered by a humanity borne of his childhood and wartime experiences. While those experiences defined him, he was a living testament to the power of optimism, humor, and faith in the face of adversity, and those who knew him, casually or well, were lucky indeed. He loved stories and believed that his overarching purpose in life was to create community by passing along wisdom and knowledge to others through storytelling. He and Ruth were also accomplished musicians and dedicated countless hours to singing at area churches, nursing homes, and the American Legion.

Even after his retirement from teaching, he continued to substitute teach as long as his health would allow, forming a special connection with many students over the years, especially at the Appleton Village School. In his retirement, he enjoyed many Boston sports teams victories, especially the New England Patriots. Among the highlights of his later years were two trips to Washington, DC with his good friend Kevin Bunker, one as an official delegate of Honor Flight Maine and one they later took together to see the Marine Corps Museum and his old barracks at 8th and I. Upon visiting the latter, the Marines there treated him as one of their own and even let him into a restricted area to see where he had stayed back in 1943. Wherever Roy went, he got that treatment. People of all walks of life responded to the genuine joy he took in his life and country.

Roy was predeceased by his sons Leroy Peasley Jr. and Levi Peasley; his brothers Nathan Peasley and Harold Peasley; his granddaughter Freedom Hamlin; grandson Frank Finley; and beloved dog Shadow.

He is survived by his life partner of 38 years, Ruth Stevens of Rockland; sister, Harriet Thompson and her husband Vernon of Port Clyde; daughter, Mary Gately and husband Paul; sons Matthew Peasley, Lloyd Peasley, Jim Peasley all of New York, Tony Hooper and his wife Tania of Alaska, Wayne Hooper of Owls Head; daughter, Heidi Stevens and husband David Hooper of Rockland; as well as numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren,
nieces and nephews.

Friends and family are invited to visit Tuesday, February 8, 2022, from 4 to 6 p.m., at Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland. A graveside service with Military Honors will be announced in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Winslow-Holbrook-Merritt American Legion Post No. One, P.O. Box 582, Rockland, ME 04841. To share a memory or story with Leroy’s family, please visit their online Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com